


Escape from the Walled City

by z0mbieshake



Series: Reiner x Bertholdt [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bertolt abuse, Corrupt city, Corruption, Execution, Fugitives, Gang Rape, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Relationships, M/M, Psychological Torture, Psychological Trauma, Public Humiliation, Rescue Missions, Spoilers, Torture, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-24
Updated: 2014-11-16
Packaged: 2017-12-30 07:36:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 66,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1015893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/z0mbieshake/pseuds/z0mbieshake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spoiler description below</p><p>The humans have won. The titans have fallen. Bertholdt has been captured by the state and is forced to endure their cruel torture while Reiner, finally remembering his true self, is the only one left in this world who can save him. And now, the titan shifters stand trial against a city with corruption so deep that it's roots dwarf even the grandest titan of all.</p><p>Canon up to chapter 49</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wall Sina

**Author's Note:**

> This idea came to be after I thought about reversing the roles: What if humans were the corrupt ones and the titan shifters were really heroes? Although, in the end, it just turned out to be a giant Reiner x Bertholdt fest. This story takes place following the canon of chapter 49 so the reveal about Eren in chapter 50 and above is not canon to this. This story also roughly shares the same continuity as another fic which establishes that Warrior!Reiner had a relationship with Bertholdt while Soldier!Reiner never did. That's all you'll need to know though to get the context of this story.

_On this day, we received a grim reminder of what it was like to be ruled by humans and the humiliation of living in cages._

The courtroom floor was cold against Bertholdt's knees. His arms ached from the metal handcuffs that were harshly ratcheted to his wrists. There he sat, kneeling on the ground with a sack over his head, arms bound behind him, waiting for a trial by millions of soldiers who stared down at him with nothing but contempt.

"Bertholdt Hoover," Judge Darius Zackly said his name in his ominous booming voice, "Of the Survey Corps in the 104th division. Or better known as..." The silence that fell upon the court room was suffocating. Even without sight, Bertholdt could feel their glares burning through the fabric, "The Colossal Titan,"

The hood was yanked off him, exposing his pitiful expression to the thousands that sat in the courtroom. What unnerved him most, however, was not the sheer number of people staring down on him but rather, the almost complete silence that fell upon them. He heard from Armin long ago that the crowd had nearly turned into a riot with everyone barking at each other like mad dogs fighting over Eren like a scrap of meat. Today, they were silent. Eren's punishment was contested; that's what caused the riot. Bertholdt on the other hand, everyone was in absolute agreement. This was a dread that Bertholdt had never experienced before.

He shouldn't be crying. This was a war and he did what he had to do. Even then, he couldn't stop himself. He hung his head and wept slowly as no one in the crowd watched with pity. The judge said nothing as he wept, waiting for him to compose himself before continuing. This was no mercy. He wanted Bertholdt to absorb the sheer hatred in his words, not lose them in desperate sobs.

When Bertholdt finally stopped, glancing up at the judge with the most pathetic look in his eyes, the man continued, "Your punishment has been decided unanimously by all three military branches. Death," Bertholdt felt his heart clench yet by the look in everyone's eyes, he knew this was not it, "...would be far too kind for you. Bertholdt Hoover, the colossal titan, for the murder of millions and the destruction of our city, you are to be tortured without end. Nothing but a slave to the whims of our soldiers,"

The gavel came down, sealing his fate. No one protested. No one pitied him. Bertholdt could see it in their eyes. He could read it off their lips: _When I get my hands on him, I'll rip him apart._

When he was dragged off, legs only barely moving from kneeling on the floor, he saw Eren and Mikasa in the crowd. The sheer amount of rage and hatred flowing from the two sent Bertholdt into another fit of tears. There will never be any mercy for the Colossal Titan.

He was thrown back into his cell. It might have been filthy and smelled of refuse but right now, this was the safest place Bertholdt could be. In his cell, no one would be allowed to touch him. He tucked himself into a corner, hugging his knees and sobbing quietly. He tried his best to block out the jeers from outside his cell. Even the most honourable soldier couldn't resist hissing at him with cruel words or spitting into his cell. The less honourable soldiers, the ones from the military police, leered at him, gestured at him in a way that made him want to vomit.

"Bertholdt," Mikasa called at him from the bars.

Bertholdt didn't look up.

"Look at us!" Eren growled, his voice startling Bertholdt to the point of crying out. He paused, waiting for Bertholdt but when he realized that the pitiful man wouldn't move, he started, "I didn't want to believe it at first. It had to have been a mistake. But now that I know the truth, there's nothing that can possibly make me hate you more," He gripped onto the bars, as if he couldn't restrain himself, "You mass murdering psychopath...I swore I'd make you die in the most excruciating way possible. I intend to keep my promise," He kicked the bars, his titan strength bleeding through his human body making the entire cell tremble, "Hear that you BASTARD! I'll make you SUFFER FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE!"

Bertholdt kept his hands tightly over his ears, screwing his eyes shut trying to drown out Eren's threats. That titan might flowing out from him was so much more terrifying with his own shifting powers stripped away.

When Eren finally left, Mikasa escorting him out personally, Bertholdt finally moved from the corner, screaming out in frustration as he hammered his fists against the wall to no avail. All he managed to do was scrape up his arms horribly. With morbid fascination, he watched as the wounds stitched themselves back together. The 'cure' wasn't perfect. It may have stripped him of his titan shifting powers but his regenerating ability remained. That was no reprieve in his mind. All this meant was that he'd be able to last much longer, _suffer_ much longer.

"I want to go home," Bertholdt sobbed as he pressed his arms against the wall. He tucked his head under his arms, desperately trying to _disappear_.

 

It was a hassle getting back into Wall Sina, having to fake his credentials, smuggle in his 3DM gear as a sleeping bag, dye his hair, and make sure that no one who knew him was on duty, but he made it in. He wasn't sure why the two guards today were old, worn out veterans. It was almost an ironclad rule that the gate guards were newer recruits so they'd be able to eye the traitors right away.

And of course, by traitors, they meant Reiner.

This must've been a special occasion, Reiner thought. Something had called all the younger soldiers away letting him slip in easily under his new identity 'Berik Weiss'. Despite his desire to stay under the radar, he needed information. Luckily, it was cold this night so bundling himself up in a hooded cloak looked natural. He picked the sketchiest bar he could find. It had to be a place where he was sure that he'd find no youthful soldiers fresh out from the academy.

He stepped in, already reeling at the smell of stale food and cheap liquor, and took a seat by the bar, "Just water," He said to the bartender, a friendly looking old man with wide eyes who looked talkative. From the sight of the military regulation rifle mounted on his wall, there was no doubt he was the type that liked to keep up with the current events. "So you heard about it?" Reiner said, interrupting his thoughts as he nodded to the rifle on the wall.

"Yep, happiest news I've ever heard," The bartender chuckled as he handed him a glass of water, "Now, we don't have to be scared of titans anymore. Just one shot and bang, they're down. I tell you, that Hanji Zoe might be a bit screwy but she's an absolute genius!" _Hanji Zoe,_ Reiner knew that name. She was from the survey corps, a real fanatic for titans and research. He knew from the start she'd be a threat. That's why they had Annie kill those titans she had captured. They could not allow her to progress with her research.

Helooked over Reiner, searching around his cloak with his eyes, "Hey, you haven't gotten one yet? They're handing these out for free to all civilians."

Reiner scrambled as he looked over his coat, pretending like he had lost something, "Damn it! I must've dropped it."

"Hey, no problem. I'm sure they'll reimburse you for free. Everyone deserves to have a fighting chance against the titans now," The bartender said, "Hey, did you hear about what happened when the soldiers fired a shot at a titan?" Reiner shrugged dumbly, "They said that it turned into a human!"

Reiner laughed dryly, "So are you saying all along, titans were just humans?"

The bartender laughed along, unaware of the malice hidden in Reiner's voice, "I know. That's madness. I heard they designated a whole section of Wall Rose into a giant sick bay for the humans trapped in titans. All rumours but that'd be interesting if it were true,"

Lazily, Reiner reached for an olive on the bar, popping it into his mouth as he thought about his next words. First and foremost, he needed to learn about what happened to Bertholdt but there was no way to phrase it without being suspicious. Instead, he thought about his second question. Where were all the new members?

"Hey," Reiner called out to the bartender, waving the elderly man over, "Why are all the soldiers old geezers? What happened to the pretty ladies?"

The bartender chuckled along, laughing at that intentionally perverted remark, "I asked a few old soldiers when they popped in for a drink a while ago. Apparently, they all went to this trial back at the castle."

"For who? Someone they took out of a titan?" Reiner wanted to sound baffled. He was afraid that his tone was too hateful.

The bartender didn't pick up his tone, merely continuing on with a surprised reaction, "Yeah. I don't know if you were old enough to see the fall of Wall Maria,"

"I was there," Reiner replied, "Just a kid. I made it out before both gates were smashed,"

"You must have a lot of good stories then!" The bartender announced. His enthusiasm was almost sickening, "You remember that big ole Titan that busted down the wall. They said they got the little bastard and their holding a trial for him,"

 _What a joke_ , Reiner thought spitefully. This was no trial. There was no way they'd treat him like a human. This was just to uphold the failing illusion of their so called justice.

"Heard he's just a kid too. He's going to be put through hell. I almost feel sorry,"

"Hell?" Reiner asked. He was sure they'd just execute him. What was he talking about?

The bartender leaned in, the smell of whisky and cologne caught Reiner immediately, "Don't tell anyone alright. A couple of my old Garrison buddies came in today. They said the kid's sentence was to be tortured by every single faction. They have free reign to do whatever they want with him!" Reiner's blood went cold. He could barely contain his shaking, "Don't know what the Garrison or Survey Corps will do but those bastards in the Military Police, they'll probably put him to work as a comfort slave."

It took everything Reiner had to restrain himself from kicking down his stool and storming out in rage. Death was a mercy too kind for the Colossal Titan. Reiner knew that but he still couldn't stand the thought of Bertholdt being tortured. He nodded silently, absolutely mortified.

Reiner changed the subject quickly, meandering around meaningless current events before asking to rent a room. He still had a bit of money left. He had accidentally kept it in his uniform and now it was coming in handy. When he reached the room and locked the door tightly, he unravelled his sleeping pack revealing his uniform and 3DM gear. This was his final defense so he had to treasure it.

He undressed shortly after, laying back in the bed looking out the window. It was chilly. He missed the feel of Bertholdt lying beside him. The man was a human furnace and Reiner enjoyed every moment of it. He tried to lose himself in the happy thoughts like spending time with Bertholdt but all he could think of was what they could be doing to him. Would it be non-stop? Would they do it till he died? How long would it last?

Reiner still remembered their defeat. He still remembered the impact of the prototype harpoon they had shot at him. The hole it made was no bigger than the fist of a small child against his titan body but it made no difference. The poison seeped inside of him and disintegrated his titan body, leaving him powerless. He only just barely escaped, taking the impact of the fall and running off with his gear.

Bertholdt faired far worse. When his colossal titan disintegrated, he had nothing to latch onto and ended up plummeting to the ground. Had he been a human, the fall would have killed him. Instead, even as a blood splatter on the ground, his wounds regenerated and the survey corps captured him.

Reiner looked at his body for a moment. It was free of any wounds he knew he must have sustained in that fall and hasty escape. His regenerative power was not dampened. Deep down, he still wasn't a human and he couldn't have been more happy about that.

Reiner tried his best to sleep. Tomorrow, he needed to find out more about Bertholdt. If he was lucky, maybe he could find Annie too. If this was how they were going to treat Bertholdt, he began to doubt that Annie was still alive. The thought made him cringe and sweat even after he had fallen asleep.

 

"Bertholdt," The voice that called to him was familiar.

Bertholdt was lying on the bed, turned to the wall and hiding his face under his arm. He didn't want them to see him crying himself to sleep. It was only a minor release from his humiliation but he couldn't stop himself. He tried ignoring the voice, keeping his eyes shut and hoping they'd leave him alone if they thought he was sleeping.

His eyes snapped open involuntarily when he heard the metal gate open. He sat up immediately, scrambling back on the bed to see Jean staring back at him, "Jean," He murmured. It was the survey corps. He wasn't allowed to look at the schedule but he knew that each faction would alternate ownership of him every other day

Even if they had to punish him, he knew they wouldn't be cruel. After all, a major chunk of the faction was made up of his former friends.

"I'm here to escort you to my faction," Jean said in an empty monotone. The look on his eyes was nothing short of malice with the slightest hint of pity. The way he delivered that phrase so clinically seemed...off. Bertholdt suspected nothing of it till Jean turned to the door. The mythical creature upon the emblem on his back had never looked so horrifying.

"No, no," Bertholdt mumbled, staring up at Jean with pleading eyes.

"They drafted me in. They said they needed some experienced soldiers closer to the king," Jean didn't sound happy. Clearly, the safety given from joining the military police was not worth the miserable state of the faction, "Bertholdt, let's go,"

He was already trembling, sweat dripping down his face and soaking the collar of his shirt. He had seen how the Military Police soldiers would visit him just for the own amusement. He watched them leer at him voraciously, scanning him in a way that made Bertholdt want to cover his body despite wearing a full set of prisoner garb. He could still hear the comments they made and feel how it made his stomach twist with horror and disgust.

_"We're going to have a lot of fun,"_

Bertholdt screamed,  voice cracking at the sheer volume. He scrambled backwards on the bed and continued to scramble frantically even when his back hit the wall. Jean didn't move from his spot. He tore his eyes away and looked to the floor as two other soldiers from the Military Police rushed in and grabbed him, "Please, don't do this...!" Bertholdt gasped as the soldiers grabbed him by his wrists and yanked him off the bed, "STOP!" He screamed again, using all his strength to kick at one soldier only to be struck over the head hard, "Stop! Stop!" Bertholdt cried out repeatedly as the two soldiers wrestled him to the ground scraping his face against the stone floor as they bound his arms behind him, "JEAN!"

Jean couldn't help it. He shut his eyes tightly and gripped onto his head. Bertholdt didn't deserve pity, not after what he had done but no normal human being could subject anyone to this sort of torture and live with a clear mind and conscience, "I'm sorry," Jean mumbled, looking up one last time to see Bertholdt dragged out of the cell by the two soldiers still struggling with all his might.

If this was justice, why did Jean feel so unclean?

They brought him to the showers first, spraying him with nearly boiling water while scrubbing him down with sponges. It took two more people just to restrain him as the previous two lathered him with soap. He eventually stopped struggling when they pinned him against the wall, face pressed against the tiles till it left a sharp red bruise. They didn't bother dressing him; they knew he wouldn't need it.

He was tossed into a considerably nicer looking room. The carpet was cheap, the gaudy red dry walls were flaking, and there were no furnishings other than a bed and a stool. Bertholdt took special note of the bed. Compared to the simple decor of the room, this almost luxurious looking bed didn't fit in at all. Bertholdt knew exactly why. He knew what they planned. His eyes darted to the soldiers who had brought him here.

"Don't do this," He pleaded weakly, curled up on the floor covering his extremities with his bound hands.

"Your first client will be here in a bit. You should rest," One of them, a woman with sandy hair and a wicked grin said. After they left him alone in the room, Bertholdt swore he heard them laughing as they walked away.

He wasn't going to sit on the bed. No matter how comfortable it looked, he would never climb onto that bed voluntarily. Instead, he took the stool, staring idly at the floor, his lap, the ceiling, anywhere but that damned bed. Despite fully expecting it, the sound of the door opening and heavy footsteps coming in scared the hell out of him. Bertholdt was already in a full sweat. All he could do was keep his gaze firmly against the ground as the 'client' stood directly in front of him.

"Hello there," The voice was soft and terrifying all at once. Bertholdt swallowed, silencing the voice inside him that said there was still hope. He'd only set himself up for disappointment if he tried to believe that. There would be no mercy, "My, you're a tall boy," The man said as he knelt down, eyes staring directly into Bertholdt's. From here, Bertholdt could see his greying hair and cloudy green eyes. He could smell his cologne, almost a bit like what Dot Pixis wore, "That stool can't be comfortable for you. Why don't you take a seat on the bed?"

Bertholdt shook his head in tight, rapid jerks. His whole body stiffened as the man touched his bare shoulder, caressing it with lustful enthusiasm, "I insist. It'll be much more comfortable for you,"

Bertholdt wasn't sure when it happened. His body moved without his approval, standing up off the stool and walking over to that dreaded bed. Despite the hand on his back trying to position him in the middle, Bertholdt's body fought against the touch and he sat himself right on the edge, staring at the stool.

"Good," The man replied, sitting on the stool in front of him, "My name is Captain Luka Gavin," From this distance, Bertholdt noticed that Gavin was dressed in his Military Police uniform. Why he chose to dress like that way for a situation like this was an absolute mystery, "What's your name?"

He knew damn well what his name was. Who wouldn't know the name of the colossal titan? He was trying to coax words out of Bertholdt, lure him into a sense of peace before tearing him apart. At least, that's what Bertholdt _hoped_ this was, "Bertholdt Hoover," He whispered.

"Why does such a tall boy speak so quietly?" Gavin laughed, leaning on his knees, "It's hard to believe that this meek boy is The Colossal Titan. That means, six years ago, you were only eleven when you took down Wall Maria, right?" Bertholdt froze at those words. He may he broken down the wall willingly but that didn't mean he was free of guilt. He had nightmares haunt him for years, thoughts that almost drove him to leap off the high point of the wall and end everything. He bit his lip tightly and refused to respond.

"You know, I was in the Military Police at the time. I was only a new recruit. My wife lived in the Shiganshina district. I spent weeks trying to transfer her into the central district but alas, I was just a new recruit at the time," Gavin said, smiling morbidly as Bertholdt began to tremble, "She didn't make it that day. You see, my wife had a bad skin condition so she always stayed near the wall. More shade, you know? So that day when you kicked down that wall, she was the very first person to be devoured when the titans came pouring in," Bertholdt was trembling, tears building in his eyes as the endless hours of guilty nightmares returned to him, "I'm not even guessing. My neighbour miraculously survived despite living right up by the wall. All he could bring back to me was her hand, wrapped in some bloody cloth. Could you imagine how I felt when I saw that?"

"Please stop!" Bertholdt cried out, screaming at the top of his lungs and he covered his ears and curled up on himself.

Gavin smiled, wild and unpredictable, "Stop?"

With only a hand grasping at his hair and an inhuman amount of strength, Gavin slammed his head into the fine oak backboard. Bertholdt cried out at the impact, trying to tear that monstrous hand off of him, "You don't tell me to fucking stop," He straddled his chest and grabbed Bertholdt's throat with both hands, choking him with all his might. As desperately as Bertholdt tried, he couldn't even squeeze the slightest breath through his throat, "You goddamned monster! She's dead because of you!" He lifted Bertholdt, slamming his head into the backboard once more while still crushing his neck in his grasp, "And you have the audacity to command me?" When Bertholdt's complexion began to darken, Gavin released him only to backhand him furiously over and over again.

By the time he had climbed off his chest, Bertholdt's face was a mess of bruises and blood. The mark on his throat was the worst as if someone had drawn a line around his throat in pitch black ink. Bertholdt flipped himself over, spitting out blood from when he had accidentally bit through his tongue. His entire body froze over when he heard the sound of clothing dropping to the floor behind him.

"I'm going to enjoy this," Bertholdt squealed pathetically when Gavin gripped him by the hair and yanked him into the center of the bed, pressing his face into the pillow as he slicked himself up with lubricant, "I'm going to enjoy this _a lot_ ," Any time he began to squirm he'd be rewarded with his head getting slammed into the backboard. The amount of strength this man contained was almost inhuman, fueled by his hatred.

Eventually, when Bertholdt finally gave in, going limp on the bed as he sobbed quietly, Gavin released his head and placed both hands on his narrow hips. There was nothing Bertholdt could do but endure the pain and humiliation he was about to suffer. The white hot pain as the man entered him was unbearable. The more he struggled, the more it hurt yet he couldn't stop himself from trying to get away. He screamed, begged, cried, till his throat was raw but no one was listening. The man kept his savage pace, almost aroused by his cries for mercy.

 

Everywhere he went, Reiner found himself tearing down posters everywhere. They drew Bertholdt like the devil, painting him as the cause of all suffering in this city, blaming him for the most irrelevant issues like the grain shortage or the excessive rain. Despite the ridiculousness, he could see the people gobbling it up. The city had fallen in hard times and were ready to blame the government for this failing society. Reiner wondered if this had gone on, would the city have fallen?

But no, Bertholdt came into their possession and almost instantly became their new scapegoat. His sentence was needlessly cruel and monstrous even for Reiner's standards. It was nothing but a farce, trying to sate the public's bloodlust with Bertholdt's suffering.

A poster slapped lazily onto the wall of a back alley caught his eye. It looked as if a child had drawn it with its shoddy penmanship and pathetic drawing of Bertholdt with horns and glowing eyes. Words were written in the corner, "A demon with no remorse," Reiner could have laughed if the situation was not so dire. Those words couldn't have been more wrong about Bertholdt.

He still remembered the days after they had broken down the wall when it was nothing but them and the world. Bertholdt wept for years, plagued by the worst nightmares imaginable. He'd wake up in the middle of the night screaming and crying before clinging onto Reiner for his life. They had done horrible things. They were criminals . They had no right to say that they did not deserve punishment. But if there was one thing Bertholdt wasn't, that was a monster.

Reiner tore down that final poster, crumpling up and ready to toss it before noticing a stamp at the bottom. _The People will have their justice on the 26th in the Central square_. Those words were stamped in red right next to the Garrison emblem, "April 26th?" Reiner murmured to himself. That was tomorrow. Was that his execution date? It made his heart clench till he remembered that bartender's words. He would be a slave to every faction. If the Garrison had him tomorrow, who had him now? The corrupt, self-absorbed Military Police or the Survey Corps filled by those Bertholdt had spurned with betrayal, which one was better?

Regardless, after he tossed that poster away, he was going to rescue Bertholdt. Since they were children, Reiner swore he'd protect Bertholdt from the world, swore that even if the world was to turn against him, he's always be at his side. He wasn't going to go back on his promise now.

He kept close to the walls, peeking out whenever a group of soldiers came by to check if there was anyone friendly. No doubt most of them would be on the lookout for him. Bertholdt's punishment wasn't just for their amusement. It was bait. As long as he kept his head down, with his hair messy and ashen brown with thick stubble all over his chin, they shouldn't be able to recognize him on sight.

He ran through a mental list of anyone he could trust. Eren and Mikasa were out of the question. He had seen that sadistic glee in Eren's eyes when Bertholdt plummeted to the ground. He could still remember the vicious and childish threat, swearing that he'd kill them in the most excruciating ways possible. Mikasa with her absolute devotion to Eren was no different. Reiner had to assume that she'd follow his lead.

Connie and Sasha were wildcards. Reiner had never hurt them directly but he knew those two were suckers for 'justice'. They would never forgive a betrayal, especially one with such epic impact. On the other hand, if they really were such suckers of justice, would they be able to agree with Bertholdt's treatment? Reiner had to take note that they may join him temporarily if he made it clear that all he wanted to do was protect Bertholdt.

Jean and Ymir couldn't be trusted. No one was more hurt by their betrayal than Jean and no one hated them more than Ymir. They'd be sneaky about it too. Unlike Eren who'd rush in hot-headed and berserk, they'd convince Reiner that they were on his side by preying on his guilty and weakness and at the most important moment, they'd backstab him and leave him for dead.

This left him with Krista and Armin. Krista without a doubt would help him. Even after everything he had done, everything Ymir had done, she looked upon them with the mercy and kindness of a goddess. And Armin, even if he believed that they deserved punishment, he could never look upon Bertholdt's suffering and call that justice.

The sound of uproar and joy alerted him. A crowd was gathering in the middle of the street. Reiner could see them parting slowly, allowing him to see the flag that was paraded down the street. He recognized the emblem immediately: It was the survey corps. He swiftly moved into the alley to hide himself. He couldn't be sure who would be there.

Right at the head, he saw Irvin on his horse looking like a king as he paraded down the street. His arm was missing though. Reiner sat there for a while, pondering when this could have happened. The second person who caught his eyes was Captain Levi, heading down the street on his horse nonchalantly. Even with victory in his hands, the icy cool captain still couldn't bother looking like he cared. Reiner was about to give up and turn down the alley until the last horse came up with Armin sitting upon it.

The boy had certainly grown since the last time he saw him. Here he was now, headstrong and valiant, waving at the crowd while everyone cheered him on. He was the master strategist, rivaling even Irvin in prowess. He also came up with the strategy that allowed them to catch Bertholdt in the first place. Reiner burned that fact into his memory.

In the split second of rage with Reiner's concentration blurred for just a moment, Armin turned his head and spotted him. Their eyes locked; time became still. What Reiner hadn't expected when they locked eyes was the sudden malice that flashed over Armin's features. He had only seen that maddening malice once when he had told them that Annie was being mercilessly tortured. The malice continued to grow until Reiner thought he had found himself staring straight into Eren's berserk titan. Before Armin could be completely sure, Reiner tore away and stepped into a post office. Had he bolted down the street, there'd be no doubt that Armin would have chased after him. There would have been no escape, especially with Levi at the head. The lack of activity behind him meant that Armin hadn't called him out. Whether it was mercy or uncertainty, Reiner didn't want to test it. He betted on the latter. There was no doubt that Eren's berserker rage was rubbing off on Armin.

It made Reiner fear what would happen if the Survey Corps got their hands on Bertholdt. Eren, Mikasa, Ymir, Jean, _Armin_ , they would not hold back, "Now more than ever..." Reiner whispered to himself as he exited the post office through the backdoor and rested against the side of the building. _I have to save you._

 

His reprieve was short. Once Gavin had finished up, he casually took a cigarette as if raping a young man was the most natural act in the world. Those few minutes, while the cruel man taunted him with words like 'Even if you heal yourself, the shame and pain will never disappear', were the only peace Bertholdt received as he laid on the bed facedown sobbing into the sheets.

Almost immediately after the sadistic man left, another took his place with the most petrifying smile he had ever seen on human or titan. Bertholdt struggled harder this time only to end up beaten into submission and taken on the floor when he refused to climb back on the bed. This man wasted no time afterwards. With his body still tainted with the smell of sex, he left the room immediately, calling out to the next soldier who waited outside.

Over and over again, Bertholdt was beaten and raped. In short moments, when the pain was numbed by the overwhelming humiliation, Bertholdt noticed that each soldier that came in was at least of senior rank. He would have thought such petty, vile revenge would be reserved for people of lesser value. The military police truly was as corrupt as Annie had said. If he still had the heart to smile, Bertholdt would have laughed at how the senior members went out of their way just to have Bertholdt first when there was clearly plenty more work to do in their city.

By the time the final senior member left the room, Bertholdt was absolutely breathless and immobile. He lay sprawled on the bed on his back barely able to breathe fast enough due to the intense exhaustion. His entire body ached fiercely, especially in his loins. He cringed as he saw the horrible tearing on his flesh from where the cuffs were placed on him. He caught sight of his reflection in the steel plate on the base of his handcuffs. His face had a nauseating amount of damage to it; Patches of blue were splattered all across his face like a poorly made painting. The sight of his own face made him sick. He didn't want to see what his ass could possibly look like.

No one was coming in. Whether this was a break or not, Bertholdt didn't care as he peeled the sweat soaked blanket off the bed and pulled it over himself. It smelled of filth and sex but Bertholdt didn't mind. He needed to hide from prying eyes even if it was just temporary. He curled up weakly, careful not to put any more pressure on his worst pains.

It was only now, curled up under the blanket trying to forget the feeling of rough, calloused hands all over him did he realize that he had stopped crying. He wasn't sure when it happened. He must've ran out of tears. Regardless, he covered his eyes with a single wrist, wiling himself to sleep even if it was just for a short while. Long ago, he once wished he could survive without sleep as long as he could avoid his nightmares. Now, sleep was his only ally in this merciless world.

_"Hey, wake up sleeping beauty..."_

It wasn't the slimy voice that woke Bertholdt but the dirty, thick fingers that pressed their way into his mouth. Bertholdt choked momentarily before his eyes snapped open. Immediately he reached up to grab at the hand in his mouth, gagging harder when he felt fingers slip their way down his throat. With a firm grip on his jaw, Bertholdt was yanked off the bed and thrown to the ground. The impact sent a dull pain coursing up his spine.

Something wasn't right. He was expecting far more pain than this. He glanced down at his still bound wrists, staring at his perfectly intact flesh in petrifying amazement. His regenerative factor had kicked in while he slept and sealed up all his wounds, leaving him _ripe_ for the picking all over again. He scrambled away backwards, looking up at the three soldiers who stood in front of him staring down at him enthusiastically. They looked like fresh recruits, possibly even from the latest generation of soldiers. This provided no solace however as one of the soldiers restrained Bertholdt on his knees on the floor right in front of the bed.

Pleading did nothing to the senior officers who were running on hatred and rage. Bertholdt had to try even if he knew it was futile, "Don't do this," He gasped out, throat still raw and dry from screaming before. He struggled weakly against the soldier who held him down.

"Say that again? I couldn't hear you," The soldier who sat on the bed directly in front of him said.

"Don't do this," Bertholdt pleaded again, sounding more and more desperate, " _Please_ ,"

"Say it again,"

Bertholdt should have realized something was wrong. It wasn't just the faint sounds of suppressed laughter behind him or the feeling of those hands restraining him moving lower on his body, mapping him out with his fingers. It was the way the man commanded him, like a ruthless master over a lovesick pet.

"I'm _begging_ you," Bertholdt whispered out, testing his ground as the soldier in front of him smiled. Bertholdt shivered as the man traced his jaw with his fingers, " _Please_ ,"

"Please...sir," The soldier corrected.

Bertholdt shut his mouth in disgust. For the senior officers, it was about pain. They wanted to inflict on Bertholdt as much pain and evil they could out of vengeful anger. They were acting out humanity's punishment on the colossal titan in their own bias way. For these soldiers, fresh out of training without any contact with war and titans, it was about _pleasure_. Titans meant nothing to them. Punishment meant nothing to them. Bertholdt could've been anyone. These soldiers were a new breed of evil, pure and refined preying on those who couldn't fight back for their own sadistic glee.

Pleading would do nothing but please them more. Bertholdt shut his mouth and looked away.

"Open his mouth," His patience was lost already. Not even the briefest moment of defiance was tolerable for these new monsters.

Bertholdt groaned as he felt fingers once against dip into his mouth. One soldier held him still, keeping pressure on his shoulders to keep him on his knees while the other reached into his jaw and forcibly pried his mouth open. They kept his head nearly in the lap of the other soldier, pressing his cheek right up against his thigh as he took off his belt and unzipped his pants. The man gripped Bertholdt's hair in one hand and his half-erect cock in the other.

"Open," He growled as he pulled Bertholdt's forced open mouth closer. With all his strength Bertholdt desperately struggled against the soldier that restrained him. He cried out, trying to shut his mouth and only managing to gnaw slightly on the fingers holding him open, "Stubborn bitch," The man on the bed signalled to the other two in the room.

Without warning, he was hurled into the wall. His head made a sickening crack as he slammed against it and the world began to spin around him. He was given no reprieve however as all three soldiers came down upon him and beat him viciously. One moment he found himself standing up against the wall and the next moment he was on the ground being crushed under their boots. When he tried to cover up his head with his arms, one soldier knelt down and pulled his arms back, revealing his face while another quickly stamped down on it breaking his nose in the process. By the time they were done, Bertholdt was a bloody mess on the ground barely breathing with blood dripping out of every orifice on his face.

"I think he's finally obedient," The soldier that had sat on the bed stated as he nudged Bertholdt's legs open with his boot. Bertholdt could barely groan in disagreement, "I'm going first," The man said, almost laughing as he took off his jacket and threw it aside. Bertholdt wasn't sure what happened next. The world kept blinking in and out.

_It was a sunny day. Bertholdt remembered this clearly because it had been the middle of winter and there was not a spot of snow on the ground. Instead, the sun was staring down at them, nearly cooking away the plants in the dirt. It didn't matter though. All Bertholdt could concentrate on was the crowd of friends Reiner had surrounded himself with. He missed it when it was just him and Reiner but he couldn't fault Reiner for making so many comrades. He was a friendly guy and Bertholdt wouldn't want him any other way, especially not like himself._

_That being said, Bertholdt really couldn't help but feel jealous whenever Reiner would opt to spend time with Eren, Jean, or Sasha instead of heading back to the dorm with him. He would never tell Reiner though. He didn't want to be his burden._

_Bertholdt considered himself rather good at hiding his emotions. After all, he had been hiding the guilt of a thousand deaths for a fairly long time. A little bit of jealousy was child's play for him. But Reiner, no matter how many barriers he put up, Reiner would always know._

_"Is something on your mind?" Reiner asked as he climbed up the ladder and into his bunk bed right beside Bertholdt._

_Bertholdt shook his head, "Why do you ask?"_

_"Because you have something on your mind," Reiner replied plainly, staring at him, "Well?"_

_With a heavy sigh, Bertholdt caved in and scooted over to Reiner's side, whispering into his ear, "I don't think you should be getting so close to Eren and the others. They're a bad influence on you. We need to stick together," There was a pause as Bertholdt reviewed everything he had said, "Because of our mission," He added in a quick whisper. For a minute there, he thought he sounded like some jealous, clingy girlfriend..._

_...which Reiner completely picked up on. Instead of being angry or awkward, Reiner merely smiled back at him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, "Bertl, are you jealous?"_

_Bertholdt stuttered uncontrollably, blushing right to his ears as he began to sweat profusely. He hated how awful he was at hiding his feelings when they were about Reiner, "Of course not," He squeaked out. Bertholdt pressed a hand right to his face, covering up Reiner's lady killer smile, "Stop looking at me like that," He was startled silent when Reiner pressed his lips to his palm._

_He took Bertholdt wrist and gently led his hand down, lady killer smile still intact and more seductive than ever, "You'll always be the most important person to me," Reiner said in a soft voice, making sure no one else was listening in the dorm, "After all," He took in a deep breath, "YOU ARE MY BOYFRIEND!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, alerting everyone in the dorm and outside the dorm._

_"Oh man, seriously? When did this happen?"_

_"Ha! I knew it!"_

_"Damn, I guess I owe you lunch now, right?"_

_"Do you guys...you know, in the bed? Because you realize that I'm sleeping RIGHT BENEATH YOU GUYS, right?"_

_Reiner, with one arm wrapped tightly around Bertholdt securing him in place, took his free hand and patted Bertholdt's chest, "That's right! Why do you think we're always attached at the hip? This bombshell babe is all mine!"_

_The dorm ripped with laughter. With his over-the-top words and charismatic personality, Reiner had convinced them all into think that it was a joke. Bertholdt knew better though, despite his face looking like a zoned out tomato. This was his first public confession to Bertholdt and even if everyone else thought it was a joke, those words still touched his heart._

_That night, laying in his bunk trying to sleep. Bertholdt found Reiner's hand gently clasping his. Taking this as a sign, Bertholdt slid over to the edge of his bed so the left side of his body was pressed right up against Reiner. Both boys smiled briefly before finally dozing off._

_It was then when Bertholdt realized..._ this was the first time since he was captured that he had thought about Reiner.

"Ugh..." Bertholdt awoke with his face pressed to the pillow with the upper part of his arm flat against the mattress propping up his bound wrists in the air like a desperate prayer. His wrists bounced with every brutal thrust the soldier behind him made. A musky, salty flavour was left lingering in his mouth; his tongue felt dry and swollen as well. Bertholdt groaned at the intense pain already blooming inside him. It felt like a piece of molten glass was biting into him from the inside as the soldier's cock sawed in and out.

He cried out as he felt someone bite into the nape of his neck. He wasn't sure what he felt, pleasure or pain. All he knew was that it was intense and brutal and he wanted it to stop. His body had given up on fighting long ago but this foreign sensation made him struggle like all his energy had returned.

"Well shit," He heard a voice behind him, "He really is like a titan," Another bite came down upon the back of his neck, making Bertholdt squirm all over again.

"Or maybe he's just a kinky bastard and likes that?"

"When they break Annie out, we'll just try it out on her and see what happens!"

_Annie!?_

Above the pain and humiliation, Bertholdt concentrated on their words. This whole time, given his horrible treatment, he assumed Annie must've died. Armin told him that she was being tortured. Was he lying that day just to make him give in? What did they mean by _break her out_?

The short burst of knowledge quickly fizzled out, leaving Bertholdt drained and helpless as the remaining soldiers continued to have their way with him.

The new recruits were worst than the senior members in a way that Bertholdt couldn't figure out. It was like comparing a death by fiery explosion to death by forest fire. Bertholdt could still sleep after the senior members had wrung him dry but after hours and hours being torn and toyed by these new recruits, the poor man couldn't even shut his eyes. He lay on his side on the floor, trembling furiously as his assaulter left the room. His body ached in a way he couldn't describe, like someone had tore through his flesh, crawled into his body, wore him like a deranged puppet, and then tossed him aside.

He involuntarily whimpered as he heard the door open again. There was only a single set of footsteps but that was little solace to him. Those who came alone were the worst. Without witnesses, they could let out all their inhuman savagery in the privacy of the room. A hand came under his head, turning Bertholdt towards him. This was a man Bertholdt had never seen before with a bowl-cut head of dark hair. He was clearly not an officer but he looked nothing like the others. This man looked wise and strong with eyes almost like Reiner in his prime.

"I'm going to carry you back to the bed," The man said quietly, "It's going to hurt, alright?" Bertholdt nodded weakly. What else could he do? He knew better than to fight. He grunted as the man picked him up, struggling to stand due to Bertholdt's height. He eventually dropped him off at the bed, carefully laying him down before throwing off the sweat caked sheet on top. The man threw his jacket over Bertholdt afterwards, covering up his fragile body before searching his pockets.

What was this man playing at? It had happened before. A previous soldier came in all smiles pretending to be some messiah to Bertholdt only to go berserk on him when Bertholdt refused to pander and worship him like a saviour.

"I'm Marlow," The man, Marlow, said as he tinkered with something in his hands, "You probably haven't eaten this entire day, right?" A tangerine, already fully peeled, was dropped onto Bertholdt's palm.

Silently, with his eyes flicking to Marlow every few seconds, Bertholdt brought the tangerine to his mouth and took small bites of it. His stomach was already aching and sick from everything they had made him do. He fought the urge to just stuff the fruit into his mouth and satisfy his hunger. He needed to take small bites or else it'd all just end up on the floor.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get more. This was all I could sneak in," Marlow said as Bertholdt ate slowly, "Is there anything else you need?"

Bertholdt paused to gather his thoughts. Was there anything else he needed? He had been locked in this windowless room for what felt like days. Time would be nice to know, "What's the date?"

"It's the 25th," Marlow replied. He could already see the horror spreading on Bertholdt's face. He'd only been in here for a few hours at most, "It's been 9 hours since you were brought here," He fully expected when Bertholdt began trembling, his breath coming out in short, harsh puffs. Marlow stood from the stool and came close, "Hoover, please calm down,"

How could he stay calm? It had only been _nine_ hours and he already felt like his soul had been torn to shreds. Bertholdt scrambled away from Marlow, letting the coat drop to the bed as he tried to leap off the bed and onto the carpet. Marlow quickly wrapped his arms around him in a bear hug and hauled him back, pinning him down as Bertholdt struggled and screamed incoherently. He threw his head back, trying to wrestle himself free, "No more! I can't take it anymore!" Bertholdt screamed, finding his tears again as he sobbed noisily against the bed.

Marlow continued to restrain him, waiting for him to finally calm down before laying him back on the bed. His body had been beaten badly enough; he didn't want Bertholdt to hurt himself in a fit of hysteria. He sat back onto the stool, watching as Bertholdt gripped the pillow tightly and cried into it.

"If it will get your mind off of it, is there anything you would like to talk about?" Marlow asked politely. He wanted Bertholdt to know that he meant no harm. He wasn't like those pleasure-seeking bastards.

Bertholdt largely ignored his attempts to talk. There was nothing he wanted to ask or say. Nothing would change regardless of anything he knew. And yet... there was something that Bertholdt desperately needed to know despite the contradiction to his belief.

"Do you know where Reiner is?" Bertholdt asked.

Marlow paused, searching his thoughts. He remembered this name during a debriefing with the captain. This was the second titan shifter, the armored titan. They had said that both Reiner and Bertholdt were very close friends and the idea that both of them were partners in crime was not completely farfetched. Other than that, however, he knew nothing else of Reiner. He had evaded capture for a while.

"No, he isn't in our custody," Marlow said. Almost immediately, Bertholdt slackened on the bed in relief. Clearly, this man meant a lot to him, "I think they're using you as bait," It was the suggestion from the Survey corps captain. It was arguably the most sensible option compared to the sick lust of the Military Police and the sheer rage of the Garrison.

"I know," Bertholdt replied softly, burying his face into his arms and sobbing again, "I don't want him to rescue me. I couldn't bear it if he got captured," Captured and subject to the same evil he was forced to endure.

Marlow nodded weakly, "If I see him, I will tell him,"

A knock came from the door. Marlow had overstayed his time. He left his jacket behind, pushing it away gently when Bertholdt tried to hand it to him. Instead, Bertholdt stuffed it under the bed to hide it from the next soldiers. After a quick nod, Marlow headed to the door and opened it up, "I'm done. Who's next?" He didn't even try to hide the spite in his gaze as he watched two soldiers almost giddily enter the room. Only now did he see the absolute corruption that had taken over the Military Police. He suddenly felt foolish, thinking so long ago that he could change the system. There was nothing to change, nothing left but sin and pleasure.

"Huh, Marlow, I thought you'd be all uppity and everything about this," Hitch said, approaching him with a sneer on her face, "Looks like you couldn't resist. I don't blame you. You're a growing boy after all. Hey, hey, you want to know what we call him? Bertholdt _Fubar_ , Fucked Up Beyond All Reason." She explained in a condescending tone, as if Marlow didn't know what the term meant.

"Just shut up," He growled under his breath.

"Hey, you miss him already? Don't worry about it, the survey corps gave up most of the time slots since they've got work outside Wall Sina. You could have your pretty little titan all to yourself," Hitch said, laughing cruelly, "Actually, he's not very little right? He was the colossal titan, right? Is any other part of him that's 'Colossal'?" She started laughing again, reaching out playfully as Marlow turned and walked the other way, "Geez, what a killjoy,"

 

There was little else Reiner could do. He had not run into a familiar face since Armin. He should've suspected this when he had come to Sina district. Everyone here was either part of the Military Police or wealthy Garrison members who could afford to hide in the safest part of the city. There was no way he'd know anyone here given his heritage.

Although, Reiner had to wonder. That time when they had kidnapped Eren and almost fled the wall, the military police had been sent to capture them alongside the survey corps and ended up slaughtered in seconds. With this knowledge, would the higher-ups decide to draft the experienced survey corps members into their division? It was certainly a possibility and unfortunately, Reiner's only hope.

He snuck quietly around in the alleyways, following patrols and disappearing as soon as he figured out who they were. Stealth was never his forte. Annie was quite proficient at it though. _Must've been her size_ , Reiner thought as he tried to squeeze through a crack between two buildings. This was the first moment in his life where he thought that it sucked to be so big,

He was just barely through the crack when he sat a couple soldiers just exit the bar in front of him. He stayed silent. The darkness should be enough to hide unless they decided to come closer. What caught his attention was a tiny blonde girl that stood in the middle of the group with her back to him. That stature and head of gold was a dead ringer for Krista but even then, Reiner couldn't be sure. He stayed quiet, waiting for her to speak up or turn around.

"I finally got my turn with Fubar this afternoon," The tall, freckled man said as he nudged his bulky, balding friend.

 _Fubar? Who the hell..._ The realization struck him like a train. For a moment, he was left breathless like someone had just smashed him in the gut with a sledge hammer. That shock didn't linger for long. As that soldier described it, described the pain and pleasure he had forced  upon Bertholdt, Reiner could feel his very soul boiling in anger. He almost forgot his goal till he heard her.

"Don't describe it man! I don't want anything to do with it," The shorter, balding man said to his taller friend.

"Well, I think it's not enough. It's his fault millions of people died. If it were up to me, I'd make him suffer even hard!" That girl, high pitched with the slightest southern accent, shouted words so cruel that it made Reiner feel guilty for even considering her to be Krista.

Reiner crept back into the shadows, curling up on the floor and taking deep, heaving breaths to calm himself. If he still had the power, if he were still a titan, he'd personally make sure everyone who even laid a single hand on Bertholdt would die. When his rage could not subside, Reiner called quits for the night, laying against a brick wall as he looked up at the sky.

Tomorrow, _Central square_ , that was what the poster said. Oddly enough, no time period was given on the poster. Did that mean he'd be there the entire day? He didn't want to think about it. He shut his eyes tightly, forcing himself to forget his rage for now and sleep.

 

Bertholdt wasn't sure when he passed out. The last thing he could remember was a sour taste in his mouth and an excruciating pain deep inside him. When he came to, he found himself back in his cell. No one was staring at him. No one was touching him. Bertholdt sighed heavily, body tensed up in fear finally relaxing as he laid out over the bed.

He looked down upon his hands. The handcuffs were gone along with the dozens of wounds that littered his body. Only the very deepest injuries, the very worst bruises and cuts, were still visible. They left the slightest patch of blue-grey on his skin. His regenerative factor was at its limit due to its continued use, his exhaustion, and psychological damage. He curled up on the bed, hugging his knees and burying his face into them. How long would it take for his regenerative factor to fail completely? How long would it take before they'd let him die?

His only solace for now was that young Military police soldier. Marlow said he hadn't seen Reiner. That thought alone gave him peace. More than anything in this world, more than his own freedom, Bertholdt wanted Reiner to be happy and free from this wretched life. If he shut his eyes tightly enough, he could pretend that he was back in the dorm room. He'd look up at Reiner from the sheets, eyes teary from a nightmare. Reiner would smile back at him, wrap his arms around him, and clutch him right against his chest. He'd do nothing else, letting just his steady heartbeat bring peace to Bertholdt's soul.

For a moment, Bertholdt was there. A small smile came upon his lips as he lifted his head from his arms. This was his peace and just as quickly as it came, the sound of the cell doors opening tore him out of it. Bertholdt immediately scrambled backwards on his bed, immediately spying for the emblem on their uniform. He didn't know how to feel when he saw the dual roses.

"Bertholdt Hoover, you are in the custody of the Garrison for today," The Garrison scout said. He nodded to the soldier behind him who immediately came forward with clothing and rope in hand. He dressed Bertholdt in plain grey prison garb and bound Bertholdt's wrists together with rope, "Follow us,"

There was little else he could do but follow with his arms bound by a rope being pulled away by the captain. Bertholdt fought the urge to ask the soldiers what was going to happen to him. If they were anything like the Military Police, he'd be better off not knowing at all.

They led him outside into the streets, escorted by the military police. The cobblestone road was hot and sharp against Bertholdt's bare feet but he paid it no attention. The sickening feeling of fear overwhelmed every other sense. In the distance, he could already hear an angry crowd. Even in the break of morning, everyone in the city gathered here to witness the fall of the colossal titan. Moments before they entered central plaza, a thick cloak was tossed over Bertholdt to hide him from the prying eyes. They led him up a tall wooden staircase and into a makeshift tent. From the feel of the wood beneath his feet and the height of where he stood, Bertholdt swore this was the gallows. Would they be merciful enough to execute him and be done with it?

 _Of course not._ The hooded cloak was taken off of him, revealing an archaic wooden pillory, "In the past, use of the pillory was reserved for petty criminals. It was used for public humiliation and to let everyone know the criminal's face. Never again would that person be trusted by the people of their village," The soldier that held the rope jerked Bertholdt towards it, "It has no longer been in use except for our most heinous criminals. And now, it has become your punishment,"

The Garrison scouts wrestled Bertholdt over to the wooden device, using excessive force to pin him down and bind his wrists. Once his neck and wrists were secured in the wooden board, the scouts locked the wood in place and stepped back. What appeared to be a Garrison senior officer stepped in front of Bertholdt, staring straight into his eyes with a mix of wonder, triumph, fear, and sickness. Bertholdt couldn't keep eye contact and couldn't turn away. He pathetically shut his eyes to avoid looking at the man.

He heard the man leave the tent. Immediately the crowd outside fell silent. In the darkness of the tent, Bertholdt felt an uneasy calm as the officer began to speak, "Good people of Utopia! On behalf of the Garrison, I, Officer Kitz Weilman, present to you the colossal titan!" The tent around Bertholdt fell, revealing the trembling figure to the crowd below.

Bertholdt yelped as the blinding light of the sun struck him. He hadn't seen the sun in nearly a week, merely catching glimpses of it during his trial. When his eyes finally adjusted and panned over the enormous crowd hanging around beneath him, Bertholdt began to hyperventilate, trembling on the spot.

"Make no mistake," Weilman cried out as he pointed to Bertholdt, "This is no mere boy. For five years, he masqueraded as a human soldier leading to countless deaths on top of the millions who have already died because of the titans," He raised his sword, voice soaring over the crowd, "For the people who have fallen to the titans, avenge them by shaming this monster! Carve into his mind the names of everyone who has perished because of him! For Justice!"

His riveting speech about shaming a helpless young man sent the crowd in a blazing cheer. Just for today, everyone could believe that they were heroes taking on humanity's rage against the titans. Even before the cruel words and pelting, Bertholdt was in tears.

"I'm sorry..." He whispered sincerely.

As soon as Weilman left the pillory, a barrage of food, stones, and anything the crowd could get their hands on rained upon Bertholdt. The rotting fruit was the worst, even if it missed, it left a hoard of angry fruit flies wafting around Bertholdt who could not even swat them away. The stones were not big enough to do damage but just enough to cause him pain. Soldiers kept the crowd in line. After all, they had to make sure Bertholdt lived as long as possible and a single angry father or bloodthirsty thug could end everything.

A well aimed stone struck him right in the eye, making him cry out and reach for the swelling flesh only to be stopped by his restraints. He groaned, hanging his head and doing his best to endure. Really, what else could he do?

 _You fucking monsters..._ Reiner watched the crowd scream at him as they battered him with anything they could throw even as Bertholdt wept for forgiveness. Could they not see the guilt and misery twisting upon Bertholdt's face? Reiner fought the urge to run up those stairs and cover Bertholdt from harm, sheltering him from danger just like he always used to as the armored titan. With nothing but himself, what could he do now? At best, he could fight his way up there, break Bertholdt out of the restraints, and then zip away on his 3DM gear but there'd be no where to go. It would only be a matter of time before he was cornered and then all hope would truly be lost.

Reiner tore away from it all, trying his best not to throw up at this unrestrained display of humanity's evil, "I'll save you," Reiner whispered, words lost in the crowd's obscenities. He convinced himself that he was just waiting for the opportune moment. Even when he couldn't stand it anymore and hid himself in an alley, covering his ears to muffle out the sounds of suffering, Reiner kept telling himself that he was just waiting, that he hadn't abandoned Bertholdt to the dogs.

He sat there for at least several hours. The sound of the crowd dying out was what called him back to Central Plaza. Whether it was lunchtime or if the people just got bored, the crowd at the Central plaza had thinned considerably. No one pelted him anymore except for rambunctious kids or soldiers spiteful of what he was. As long as no crowd gathered, no one would dare assault him like they had this morning lest everyone see their true nature.

The sight of Bertholdt shattered Reiner's heart. Even from afar, Reiner could see Bertholdt's legs trembling in exhaustion. His face and hands were littered with bruises and splattered with rancid produce that was already starting to turn black in the open air. The rest of his body fared no better, his prison garb already dyed a myriad of queasy colours. However, it was his expression that made Reiner lose it: Absolute defeat, exhaustion beyond recovery, grief beyond hope.

As bad an idea this was, Reiner rushed towards him. He had to go to him, had to tell him that everything was going to be okay. Before he could cry his name, he heard the sound of footsteps going up the stairs. The footsteps were far too light to be soldiers, sounding more like cheap sandals than leather boots. Reiner immediately rushed to the back of the wooden platform, noticing that the Military Police guards were no longer there, no doubt slacking off on their duties.

"Our whole family was killed in Trost," A voice that came from the top of the wooden platform said. It was distinctly female and almost a hiss, "It's just me and my brother now. Waiting for this day,"

"Do you know how long we waited for this?" A male voice said to Bertholdt.

There was a brief moment of silence. Reiner assumed Bertholdt was speaking, apologizing.

"Shut your damn mouth!" The woman screamed, "You don't understand a thing!"

Just like that, the two began mercilessly beating on Bertholdt. Reiner couldn't tell if the heavy sounds of wet impact was caused by the rotting food slathered all over Bertholdt's body or if the assailants were hitting hard enough to break flesh. Without the soldiers standing guard, there was no one to stop them. Before the third punch had even struck, Reiner had already bolted up the stairs.

"Get the hell away from him!" Reiner barked grabbing the woman who had been beating against Bertholdt's face and throwing her off the platform. Her brother followed after. Commoners without a lick of training stood no chance against Reiner.

As soon as those two had fled, Reiner immediately rushed to Bertholdt. The man was barely conscious. The worst of it all the damage was his face with his left eye badly swollen, nose clearly broken, and lip torn clean in half. Reiner worried most about the rotting juice that he was nearly coated in. His regenerative ability should be able to fix him up but a bad infection would definitely prolong the process.

He cupped Bertholdt's face gently, cleaning away the juice from his good eye, "Bertl, it's me," Reiner whispered as he knelt in front of the man, "Can you hear me? Bertl?" There was no response. With no guards around and central plaza nearly deserted except for apathetic bystanders, Reiner knew this was the best opportunity he would ever get to save Bertholdt. He reached for the sleeping bag on his back, reaching for the handle of his blade.

"Hey! Get down from there!" Someone barked. Reiner counted only a single set of footsteps coming up the stairs.

It was do or die, now or never. Reiner was fully prepared to kill this man and flee with Bertholdt. He had already drawn his sword, a fresh blade already attached to the handle. Dropping the sleeping bag, he rushed across the platform and readied his slash, only to stop at the sight of the man before him.

"Reiner..." Jean said in complete awe.

"Jean," Reiner muttered, completely frozen. His eyes dropped to the Military Police emblem upon his jacket before looking back at his face. Jean could have been the ally he needed. He couldn't afford to cut him down now and flee with Bertholdt in hand with an abysmal chance of escape, "Forgive me Bertl," Reiner muttered quickly, before turning and running off the platform.

Jean didn't follow. He stayed on the platform, watching as Reiner fled the vicinity. He was the last warrior remaining. The moment they captured him, humanity would claim its absolute victory over their titan enemies.

"Kirstein!" Weilman was calling him from behind, stepping up the stairs himself, "Did you see something?"

He'd be hailed a hero if he ratted Reiner out. He saw him disappear into the slums. It was a tight place with many hiding spots but not even a rat could hide if they flushed the place with soldiers. He opened his mouth, ready to speak, only to find his words drowned out by the sound of Bertholdt screaming for help yesterday as he was dragged off by the military police.

"No, just a couple punks," Jean replied, saluting the officer quickly.

 

Jean's shift was only meant to be the afternoon. He opted to stay for the remainder of the day should Reiner return. The man never did. As he waited, watching in disgust as Bertholdt was put through more and more abuse whenever a crowd built up. Everyone was afraid of attacking alone. _Cowards_. Occasionally, a Military Police scout would come by with a whip of some sort, furiously attacking Bertholdt while goaded on by the cheers of the crowd. Revenge for the people? Justice? _My Ass_ , Jean scoffed. He could barely keep watch as Bertholdt's face twisted in pain as his back and thighs were littered with horrible red lashes.

During downtime, Jean pondered about what Reiner was planning. With his blade at the ready and Jean armed with nothing but a rifle on his back, Reiner could have easily incapacitated Jean and fled with Bertholdt. If he didn't kill him, he must've have needed him for something. As much as it was a betrayal to his faction, Jean took a small hunting knife from his belt and carved his room number into the wood of the pillory below Bertholdt's left wrist, hoping that this would be enough for Reiner to seek him out.

Jean felt responsible to look after Bertholdt especially after letting Reiner go. He signed up for guard duty the next day despite dreading it yesterday. The thought of Bertholdt being brutally raped while his supposed comrades took pleasure in it made Jean sick. Luckily, the Survey Corps would have him tomorrow. He may even get to catch up with his old friends. It had been far too long since he was drafted into the Military Police.

"Kirstein, you will be guarding the comfort cell tomorrow," Captain Gavin said in an icy cold voice.

Jean could feel his heart sink through his chest and melt away in his bowels like molten lead, "Excuse me sir, but the Survey Corps will be taking custody of him tomorrow,"

"An emergency in the Wall Rose sickbay has called the majority of the Survey Corps out of the district. They've given up most of their share of the time. Therefore, we shall be taking custody of Hoover tomorrow," Jean looked utterly sickened. He didn't even bother trying to hide it, "What's wrong, Kirstein? Are you feeling pity for your former friend? He's a titan, son. He's the reason why your hometown was trashed," What he said was true. Even then, this level of cruelty... "If you are unfit for the job, I can assign someone else to take your place,"

Jean straightened up quickly, saluting Gavin as he cleared away the sickness in his face, "No sir. I will take the duty,"

"Good. You are dismissed,"

The morning debriefing was less than desired to say the least. Jean had spent the night planning out the day in his head. He'd probably spend some time with Eren, maybe sneak into a conversation with Mikasa. Connie might come up to him later in the day when he got lazy. Sasha would definitely come up to him during lunch. Even with Bertholdt captured and Reiner on the loose, Jean had just enough distractions to keep himself occupied. And now, he was stuck guarding the comfort cells with no one but the Military Police _assholes._

Jean dreaded the walk to Bertholdt's cell. Once again he'd have to hear the man beg and cry for mercy. Worst of all, Jean could do nothing for him. He stepped into the cell, puzzled when he noticed the empty bed, "Bertholdt?" He murmured before kneeling on the floor. Bertholdt had curled himself up tightly under the bed, eyes clenched shut with hands covering his head. He must have heard of the schedule switch up.

"Get out from there," Jean commanded in as soft a tone as he could. Bertholdt shook his head in reply, pressing himself further into the wall, "Don't make me pull you out," If he really had to drag Bertholdt personally to be ruthlessly tortured, Jean might just lose his mind, "Please, don't make it harder for yourself," He reached a hand out to him, leaving it just beside the bedpost.

It took a while but the logic sunk in. As much as Bertholdt wished for them to just leave him alone in his cell, he knew it would never happen. He reached out from beneath the bed and took Jean's hand firmly. As Jean pulled him out, Bertholdt leapt at him, hugging him tightly as he sobbed into his shoulder.

"Don't let them take me," He sobbed hard, only gripping harder into Jean's jacket as Jean returned the hug, "I'm begging you. _Jean, help me_ ,"

"Hey, hurry it up, will you?" A female soldier said, "He's fully booked and we can't afford to waste time,"

Utter and pure contempt was all Jean felt towards this woman. The short moment he spent glaring daggers through her, another pair of military police scouts came in and snatched Bertholdt away. Desperately, Bertholdt reached for Jean, grasping onto the arm of his jacket, "Wait!" Jean cried out to the soldiers. He was promptly ignored as they merely yanked Bertholdt's arm away and dragged him off. His partner left shortly after, leaving Jean kneeling on the floor of the cell with Bertholdt's warmth still lingering on his arms.

Luckily, he didn't have to be in the room with Bertholdt. If he did, he knew he would have broken down then and there. Instead, he waited outside the door, desperately trying to tune out even the faintest sounds muffled by the reinforced room. That didn't stop the soldiers from gloating at they came out, talking about how _good_ his mouth was or how much better he was when he stopped fighting back. _Sickening_ , _just sickening_ , Jean thought.

"Hello there Jean," Hitch greeted. Everyone had noticed her bad habit of slacking off and wandering around this hall whenever she was bored. Whether it was out of actual boredom or from some sort of pleasure she derived it, Jean wanted her away from the room as soon as possible.

"Hi," He responded quickly, "Do you need something?"

"Of course not. Can't I just drop by and say hi?" She eyed the door, surprised that not a single sound was coming from it, "They really soundproofed this room, didn't they? If you think about it, that's kind of twisted," Jean had to agree. He had hoped he was wrong about Hitch, that she wasn't just a selfish bitch, that she wasn't just like him before Marco died, "Hey, do you want to know what we call that guy?" She said, nodding to the doors, "Bertholdt _FUBAR_ ," She said with a quick shrill laugh.

Jean was right. Hitch was nothing like what he thought. She was a hell lot worse, "Shut up,"

She was taken aback but reacted nonchalantly, "Have you been hanging around Marlow? And I thought you looked like a party-type. Lighten up, geez,"

"You're asking me to lighten up while my former comrade is getting violated, tortured, and _driven to suicide_ in the next room?" Jean growled, glaring her down with utter disbelief.

"Former comrade? There's a reason why he's a former comrade. He _betrayed_ you. And on top of that, he's a mass murderer. You should be ashamed for pitying him," She returned the intense glare. Why she was getting so angry, Jean couldn't understand. It wasn't her who was torn between saving Bertholdt or letting him rot.

"Of course I understand that he should be punished. I was there at Trost. I lost my best friend at Trost! But this, this is _inhumane_!"

"He's not a human. He's a titan,"

Maybe it was how ignorant her words were, or maybe it was because he was just so angry that shouting could not voice it. Whatever the case may be, Hitch was disturbed as Jean suddenly burst into laughter. The sound was dry and gravely as he forced all the breath from his lungs when he laughed. His eyes were wide open, focusing on nothing and everything. When he finally stopped, he dropped his head and rushed past Hitch, nearly knocking her to the ground with just his shoulder.

Jean burst into the men's bathroom, immediately rushing into a stall and vomiting. This was what he was fighting for. When Marco died, Jean thought he finally understood the truth: He couldn't live selfishly if he wasn't prepared to lose what mattered to him. That's why he joined the Survey Corps so he could go out and do something in the world even if it all ended with his death. Everything was as it should have been, fighting on the front lines ready to lose it all for the sake of their home.

However, if _this_ was the world he was fighting for, if at the core of this city was corruption so deep that its roots dwarfed even the largest titan, _then what the hell was the point?_ Jean growled in his mind. All those big dreams from Eren about saving the people from the titans were nothing but cruel jokes when the society was so broken.

"Excuse me, are you alright in there?" A man said through the door, "I can head to the medical wing to grab some medicine for you,"

Jean sighed heavily, wiping away his mouth with a sheet of toilet paper before leaving the stall, "I'm fine," He looked at the man, stunned by his appearance, "... Marco?"

"Marlow, actually," The man replied, "Are you Jean Kirstein by any chance? I don't remember seeing you at any of the recruitment ceremonies," Jean nodded back, "Ah, pleasure to meet you," Marlow almost immediately turned back to the mirror, tucking in his pockets and fixing up his clothes. He was just about to leave before a tangerine suddenly popped out from his sleeve and rolled across the ground.

Jean, utterly puzzled, bent down and took the tangerine in his hand, "You dropped this," He said plainly before placing the tangerine back into Marlow's hands. At close inspection, he spied another tangerine hidden in pant pocket and another in the other sleeve, "What in the world?"

Marlow laughed shyly, tucking the tangerine away, "I'm sneaking them in,"

"In to what?" Jean asked. Marlow didn't reply. His blank look and their proximity to the comfort room was more than enough for Jean, "Oh,"

"They don't feed him, you know," Marlow said, checking over the rest of his carefully tucked away fruits, "I'm not exactly sure how titans work but I know Hoover is starving," He shook his head in disapproval, eyes glancing over the Military Police emblem on both their uniforms, "It's sick how anyone can waltz in and do god-knows-what with his body yet anyone trying to smuggle in food or medical supplies will get suspended immediately."

"Makes me wonder what we're fighting for," Jean replied, staring off lazily to the side, "Whether it's in here or out there with the titans, it looks the same to me,"

Marlow looked him straight in the eye, "I know what we're fighting for," Marlow said, "We serve humanity, not humans," From that moment, Jean knew he had found the single pure soul in this godforsaken faction. Marlow nodded to him, leaving the bathroom to visit Bertholdt.

It was a breath of fresh air knowing that buried within the Hitch's and Gavin's, there was a single man who still held his morals. He reminded Jean of Marco. Appearance-wise, they looked nothing alike with Marco's features being softer and rounded while Marlow was far more angular and sharp. It was the way both of them acted as a beacon of light in even the most hellish darkness.

Thinking about Marco left Jean disoriented. He was told Annie had something to do with his death which by extension meant Bertholdt and Reiner also had a hand in it. If he chose to protect Bertholdt, would he be betraying Marco or would he understand that Jean was doing the right thing? Throughout the entire day and even after Bertholdt was returned to his room, those were the questions he distracted himself with.

 

The day finally ended with Jean miraculously still retaining his sanity even after escorting Bertholdt back to his cell. However, he knew his day was not over, not yet. He opened the door into his dorm room and shut it quickly behind him. After all, he couldn't risk someone seeing Reiner sitting on the desk with his table lamp casting ominous shadows on his face.

"Jean," Reiner greeted.

"Reiner," Jean replied, taking a stool out from the corner and sitting in front of Reiner.

Reiner breathed out deeply, sitting up straight as he talked, "We could talk circles around each other the entire night so I'll just cut to the chase. I need to get Bertholdt away from here," When he noticed Jean look away exasperatingly, Reiner leaned forward, ducking his head in submission, "I'm begging you here, Jean."

After so many dead, having his hometown ripped to shreds by titans, Jean should have felt rage against Reiner for even considering such a suggestion. But now, after being exposed to the core of the city, he was beginning to doubt himself, "You do realize that you're both criminals, right? Bertholdt murdered millions of people that day when he kicked down the Shiganshina district gate and I'm not just talking about those who got eaten by titans," He glared at Reiner. For once, despite Reiner's impressive size, Jean felt like he dwarfed the man, "Those who starved to death when the land became too densely populated. Those who died in civil wars. You're more than just murderers, you're a whole new level of evil," Jean hissed his words out, "And you have the audacity to ask me to save Bertholdt and let you two run off scot-free after everything you've done?"

Reiner was silent, contemplating his words carefully. He couldn't lose Jean especially if he wanted to save Bertholdt, "What is justice?"

"Oh shut up," Jean replied, "Just get to the point,"

"What's happening to Bertholdt right now, is that justice?" Reiner corrected his statement, "Letting a man be beaten, raped, humiliated every day until he dies, is that justice? Even for the most wicked criminals in the world, is that _justice_?"

The fury of a million deaths, this was what Bertholdt was suffering right now. By all logic, this was true justice. Yet, this was wrong, so wrong that he might end up clawing out his own heart if he refuses to do something. What made this so much more complicated was the _glee_ the perpetrators took in Bertholdt's suffering. It was no coincidence that the guards from the day before had disappeared, leaving Bertholdt to the mercy of anyone who caught him. Was it the happiness of finally avenging those that were lost or was it all just for pleasure? Trying to wrap his head around whether or not anyone should be enjoying Bertholdt's punishment was too complicated for him to comprehend. Everyone should be glad that a villain is finally getting his just desserts. Yet, he wasn't and he never would be.

"Yes," Jean mumbled, "No, I mean... shit," He stood quickly, kicking his stool to the ground.

"Please Jean, I don't want Bertholdt to suffer anymore,"

Jean quickly drew his sword. While he rarely used his 3DM gear anymore, he always kept his sword polished and ready should the situation arise. He pointed it at Reiner's face with an absolute stoic expression, "Or maybe, I should just kill you now then kill Bertholdt, and let the court decide what is to be done to me. That's justice, right?"

Reiner was dead silent now. Jean noticed that he looked distraught. What he said was not wrong, this was a proper punishment for criminals even if others thought it was too kind. Reiner looked almost afraid like he didn't want the death he deserved.

Jean was almost furious at his audacity until he finally spoke, "Then kill me, do whatever you wish to me, but _let Bertholdt go_ ,"

"Alright, your death for his life," Jean muttered quietly, lifting his sword up as Reiner dropped his head to expose the back of his neck. Reiner was fully prepared to die for Bertholdt. The sword trembled in his grasp. Right here and now, he could kill the armored titan, the man inadvertently responsible for Marco's death. Yet, after words like that, Jean didn't have the heart to kill him. He dropped the sword next to Reiner, staring at him indignantly.

"I can't do it," Jean muttered, stumbling back a step, "But I can't let him go free either," Jean was torn between his duties as a soldier and as a human. He couldn't kill Reiner and he couldn't dishonour the millions who suffered by letting them get away scot-free, "Shit," He leaned on his desk, refusing to look at Reiner, "I can't help you Reiner. I'm sorry,"

Jean fully expected to die. He left the sword right beside Reiner's leg. Instead, Reiner left without a word. His final hope was dashed into pieces.

 

Total Failure. Failure to be a warrior, failure to protect Bertholdt, failure to convince Jean, failure to do anything except stand in the crowd and listen to Bertholdt's cries as the Garrison ground away at him. Every other day, when the Garrison had their hands on him, Reiner would follow the heavily guarded escort team to their next station. It was their plan to parade Bertholdt all over the Sina settlements. After all, every citizen deserved to exact revenge against the titans.

Reiner fought the urge to dive in on his 3DM gear and whisk Bertholdt away. As good as it looked on paper and in his mind, with Bertholdt in hand, he knew he wouldn't even reach the wall before he was hunted down by the Military Police or Garrison. The divisions located inside Wall Sina might've been the lazy soldiers who bought their way in but their sheer number and density in Wall Sina's small district would make it utterly impossible to escape. That urge, if he gave in, would doom them both.

It was getting harder and harder to fight it every day.

The last time he saw Bertholdt, the man still carried the scars and bruises from the previous day. The bruising around his neck from repeated attrition by the pillory was still visible. His regenerative factor was crashing hard. Reiner couldn't be sure if they were even feeding him. If this went on, Bertholdt would surely die.

Reiner lingered in the southern plaza even after Bertholdt was released and escorted back to wherever they kept him. When he was sure no one was left, he walked up the wooden platform  and pressed a palm against the pillory. It was still _warm_ to the touch.

In a fit of rage, he kicked at the device with all his strength. He was rewarded with a loud snap as the wood crumpled beneath his repeated strikes, "Bertholdt," He repeated over and over again as he furiously kicked at the device. Emptying all his rage, he tore the restraining device apart and kicked the pieces off the platform huffing and angry, "God damn it!" He roared, clutching at his face when he noticed that he had started crying.

He was the warrior. He wasn't supposed to cry. He needed to maintain a proud and heroic image so he'd never burden anyone with his weakness. He needed this so whenever Bertholdt had broken down in tears and despair, he knew he could always run into Reiner's embrace for protection.

"Damn it all," Reiner muttered, wiping away his tears with his wrist, so angry at himself for failing so miserably.

In his misery, Reiner almost missed the soldier coming down from the main road and walking towards the bulletin board in the middle of the southern plaza. Reiner bolted off the wooden platform, diving behind a tree as the soldier posted a flier up. There was only one reason a soldier would be posted up news outside of recruitment season.

As soon as the soldier left, Reiner went to the bulletin board and snatched off the flier. The first thing he noticed was the big stamp at the bottom of the Survey Corps emblem along with the date, "May 3rd," Two days from now, Bertholdt Hoover would be in the custody of the Survey Corps and he would be subject to experimentation. The flier mentioned that the forest would be off-limits since that was the only place open enough for them to experiment.

The forest was certainly an odd place. With the 3DM gear, even a moderately skilled user would be able to throw off pursuit. The whole setup screamed of a trap but Reiner knew that if he didn't try, this may be the last time he'd ever see Bertholdt. He couldn't forget that he was the second best student in his generation and even then, he was holding back to protect his identity.  

He wasn't the best at 3D Maneuver though. That title belong to Bertholdt.

It was his last chance. If he couldn't save Bertholdt, he swore at the very least he would end Bertholdt's life with his own hands. _I'll never let them lay their hands on you again_.

 

The peaceful sound of nature was a welcoming change for Bertholdt. After an entire week of being locked in a room that suffocated him with sweat and sex and being restrained in public smelling of refuse and dirt, this was a very pleasant environment. He wasn't walking either. Instead, he was sitting in an open carriage with his wrists bound, flanked by the Military Police and Jean.

"Jean?" Bertholdt murmured, looking at the intensely concentrated expression. On close inspection, Bertholdt noticed bruises hidden by makeup on his face.

"Yeah?" Jean replied casually, eyes still surveying the forest around him.

"What are they going to do to me?"

Jean paused. The Survey Corps told him that they planned to use Bertholdt as a specimen for research but in this dense forest screaming for 3DM gear, Jean has his doubts, "Experimentation, Hanji will probably be in charge so don't worry,"

The solace his words gave Bertholdt were instantly ripped away when they entered the experimentation camp. Irvin stood in the center flanked by Eren and Armin. Hanji was nowhere in sight. Bertholdt was stunned, turning to Jean frantically hoping for some sort of reassurance. Jean didn't know what to say.

Jean leapt off the carriage first, carrying Bertholdt off carefully before the other soldiers took him. Without a doubt, this had to be a setup. Of the 104th generation recruits, only Armin and Eren were here. Connie, Sasha, and Mikasa, the top three at 3D Maneuver along with Levi were missing. The fire pit directly in front of Bertholdt was no doubt making a smoke signal through the trees. Even the way Bertholdt was bound was suspicious with his wrists bound to the branches of a tree leaving him almost dangling in the air. The excessive length of rope was just daring someone to zip in and cut it.

"Hey, Eren, Armin!" Jean greeted, walking over to them as Irvin oversaw the preparations, "I don't see Mikasa anywhere. Did she come with you?

Armin shook his head, "She's staying back at the Wall Rose Sickbay."

"Ah, that's a shame," Jean replied. _And a complete lie_. No way in hell would Mikasa abandon Eren after everything that has happened, "So, what are they planning on testing?" He already felt sick to his stomach when he watched iron rods been stabbed into the fire pit, "I don't see Hanji around,"

Jean didn't want to say too much. He didn't want to look like he understood what was truly going on. After all, he wasn't supposed to know that Reiner was even in the city.

"We're testing his regenerative factor after prolonged use," Armin replied a bit too casually as if he'd been practicing it, "It's going to get really brutal. That's why Sasha and Connie didn't want to come,"

Jean noted that he didn't mention Sasha and Connie at all.

"I'm hoping for it," Eren added quickly.

Jean cringed at his words, "After everything, he's still Bertholdt, you know."

"That's exactly why I'm hoping for it," Eren said through clenched teeth, "Throwing our world into disarray and thinking that he could live a normal human life after all that? I can't accept it," Jean couldn't blame him. Bertholdt was directly responsible for the death of his mother and Eren was always a hothead, viewing everything intensely in black and white.  

A sharp whistle came from Irvin who was standing directly in front of Bertholdt. Jean couldn't see his face but he could tell that Bertholdt looked terrified of him, "Bertholdt Hoover, on behalf of the Survey Corps, I Irvin Smith deliver you to the hands of the Survey Corps. You shall be used as a specimen for research to support the progress of our Anti-Titan research," Finishing off the welcome, Irvin removed an iron rod from the fire, examining the glowing orange tip.

Jean noted a slight hesitation in Irvin's usually implacable tone. Even he wasn't comfortable with cold-blooded torture. It made Jean wonder who truly came up with this plan. His eyes fell upon Armin.

Irvin's hand hesitated to move forward, just pointing the glowing rod in front of Bertholdt's chest, "No, no, no, no," Bertholdt mumbled, struggling in the air helplessly, "I can't take anymore," His pleas were visually taxing on Irvin's resolve but his iron will forced him forward.

He plunged the rod into Bertholdt's side, watching as his flesh sizzled and burned. Bertholdt screams rose to a screech the deeper that rod pressed inside him. The pain was worst than anything he had ever felt and it just _wouldn't relent_. He was writhing desperately in his bounds, trying to find some leverage to get away. His brain felt like mush, drowned out by the throbbing pain. He couldn't even plead with words, everything coming out in nonsensical babbling mixed with hysteric tears.

Eren didn't tear away. He stared straight at Bertholdt with unwavering conviction. What surprised Jean most was Armin's resolve, how he kept watching without a single waver. Whether he was too soft or too human, this was too much for Jean, "I-I I need some..." Jean choked over his words, "Fresh air," He spat out quickly before stumbling off into the trees.

 

The scream was utterly horrifying. Bertholdt's wailing echoed through the trees comparable only to the most brutal kills by titan. Reiner caught it immediately, standing from his hiding spot beneath a hollow tree.

Fully equipped in this 3DM gear, Reiner stood at the far side of the forest away from civilization hidden in a moss covered cave. For all of yesterday, Reiner spent his time mapping out the ideal path. The city was no good with its dense population. He'd have to cut through the forest and stay in the wilderness. To travel the entire way in his 3DM gear was pointless if he had to carry Bertholdt along. In fact, it was a disadvantage. The survey corps had fuel supplies. Once Reiner ran out, even if he somehow escaped, it'd be over. Using this crutch, Reiner deduced that the best plan would be to take the river. Carrying Bertholdt and trying to run was just as pointless as using the gear, so, why not let the water do the job for him? It was risky. It was stupid. He didn't even know how harsh the current would get further down the river but he didn't have a choice. He'd leap into the river with Bertholdt in his arms and hope for the best.

"Hang on, Bertholdt," Reiner muttered quickly before launching himself into the air. If he went at full speed, he could guarantee to have at least half his gas remaining after his return trip. He had to do his best to filter out Bertholdt's screams. He needed absolute concentration if he was to succeed.

Reiner had almost missed it when he soared past a small clearing. There was a neon marker on one tree. The paint looked fresh, as if it hadn't even stopped drying. In that short moment where he had paused to contemplate his next move, Reiner was tackled to the ground by a figure from the leaves. He rolled across the leaves, back striking a stump _hard_ when he finally stopped. His attacker was still on him, trying to wrestle him to the ground despite their clearly smaller stature. On reflex, Reiner grabbed at the handle of his sword and stabbed it forward.

His attacker only barely blocked the blade before removing his hood, "Damn it Reiner, it's me!" Jean hissed, trying to shove both their swords out of the way, "Drop your sword!"

"You sold me out!" Reiner barked, refusing to back down even when he was clearly at a disadvantageous position.

"You idiot, I'm trying to save you here," Jean replied, "This is a trap!" Jean threw his sword aside as he stood up, watching as Reiner sheathed his own blade.

"Don't you think I know that?" Reiner replied, kneeling on the ground, "But what choice do I have? Bertholdt's going to die if I don't save him now," An excruciating scream made both of them cringe at just the sheer volume, "I promised I'd protect him."

Jean took a deep breath. Whatever he was going to do next, he knew he would regret it for the rest of his life, "Meet me at the Northern Utopia district at midnight by the Military Police base. Bring your 3DM gear," Reiner looked confused. He couldn't understand why Jean was helping him.

Both of them were startled again by another scream ripping through the woods. What made this scream stand out was what he was calling: _Reiner_. Reiner immediately stood up, looking in the direction of the scream and fighting with himself to either listen to Jean or go for Bertholdt.

Jean clasped a hand on Reiner's shoulder, "Trust me, this is the only way you can save Bertholdt,"

In the end, even though it broke his heart to leave, Reiner trusted Jean's words and fled the forest. Jean started to make his way back to the clearing, leaping over a log right before running straight into Mikasa, "Mikasa?"

Mikasa leapt down from the trees, "Been a while," _Wall Rose Sickbay, my ass_ , "I didn't know you'd be here,"

"Just keeping an eye on Bertholdt, you know. I was assigned to him by the Military Police," Jean replied coolly.

Mikasa maintained her dead stare into his eyes, "Did you see anyone on your way here?"

"No, haven't seen anyone." Jean replied, hoping that Mikasa couldn't see through his lie. Luckily for him, she merely nodded quickly before starting her patrol again.

Exactly what would Jean lose if everyone were to find out that he was helping Reiner?

 

Still equipped in his gear but now with a cloak to hide it, Reiner waited outside the Military Police base. All he could do was hope for the best. This area was not exactly ideal for a getaway but he had to trust Jean. If the man really did want to capture Reiner, he would have let him rush head first into the forest.

"Psst," Jean whispered from behind the gate, waving Reiner over with a small gesture, "Use your 3DM gear to get inside. I can't unlock the gate without them hearing,"

Reiner nodded quickly firing his hooks into the tree and reeling himself in, "Thanks," Reiner said. Jean gave him a quick nod before leading Reiner over to what appeared to be a storm cellar. He knelt down shortly after, picking the locks while Reiner watched.

"What made you change your mind?" Reiner asked, trying to understand Jean.

Jean didn't reply. Whether it was because he was gathering his thoughts or busy picking the lock, Reiner didn't blame him for it. They sat in silence for a while longer.

"I don't know if you'd want to hear it," Jean finally said, breaking the silence.

Already, Reiner could hear Bertholdt's screams, "Tell me,"

 

_Bertholdt could barely stand. Jean honestly considered carrying Bertholdt on his shoulders as he escorted him back to his room. Instead, to avoid suspicion from his colleagues, Jean lent him a shoulder to lean on and slowly walked him back. Before Bertholdt could even make it to the bed, he shoved Jean back in a hysteric fit and bent over the side of his bed, throwing up violently. Slimy chunks of tangerine mixed with a cloudy white substance splattered the floor and scared the hell out of Jean. Almost immediately after, Bertholdt reeled back and passed out on the bed._

_"Shit..." Jean mumbled, staring at the mess on the floor, the perfect metaphor of exactly what the Military Police had become._

_Jean had only been gone for a minute, off to find some towels to clean up the mess. He left the door unlocked for a goddamn_ minute _and when he returned, he had lost all hope in humanity. Three soldiers, two Military Police and one Garrison, had gone into the cell. From their position and expression, Jean could already tell what they planned to do with an unconscious Bertholdt._

_That was it. He couldn't take it anymore. He threw the towels to the ground but before he could rush in, another man pushed through._

_"Get away from him!" Marlow shouted, marching in with all the grace of a true captain, "That's an order!"_

_Jean had hoped they'd just back off and leave. As he expected though, they turned on Marlow instead, ready to beat the hell out of him for daring to command them. Jean immediately rushed into the fray, delivering swift punches to the pathetically trained soldiers. Sitting dormant in the walls had made them soft. Getting into petty fights with Eren every other day during training made him quite formidable._

_Even with two against three, Jean and Marlow eventually scared off the bastards, "And stay out!" Jean barked, wiping away the blood from a small cut on his lip. He touched his cheek, feeling the damage he had taken when one of them managed to punch him in the face. Minimal damage overall, he'd need to cover up the bruise tomorrow._

_"You okay?" Jean asked Marlow. The man was clearly less adept at fighting than he was but still held up well._

_Marlow nodded quick, "I'm fine. Nothing I can't walk off," He searched his jacket for a moment before turning to the floor, groaning when he saw the crushed sandwich he had saved for Bertholdt._

_This was odd to Jean. Initially, he thought Marlow was just good person, bringing him food when he needed it like Krista usually had when they were punished. But this? He was risking everything, throwing himself into fights that he may not have been able to win, just to protect Bertholdt._

_"Do you know Bertholdt?" Jean asked, "Were you friends with him before all this?"_

_"No, I've never met him till now," Marlow replied, brushing himself off._

_"Then, why are you helping him this much?"_

_Marlow stared at Jean with what looked to be disappointment, "I didn't know I needed a reason to do the right thing," He reached into another pocket, taking out a small piece of candy and placing it in Bertholdt's hand. It was the only food he had left on him and it was better than nothing, "I can't deny that he deserves this especially after everything the titans have done but I don't have to agree that this inhumane act is right."_

_Jean watched as Marlow took the towels he had dropped and quickly wiped up the mess, disposing of them in the trash. Here was a man, helpless against the system but still doing what he can to make it right unlike Jean who held all the cards and had no idea how to play them, "Wait!" He called out to Marlow before he left the cell. The man turned around, waiting for Jean to ask his question, "You said he deserves this but that you don't think it's right," Marlow nodded in confirmation, "Then, if you had a choice between leaving him be or saving him, what would you do?"  A choice between letting the humans finally exact their revenge on the titans or sparing a man from immeasurable suffering._

_Justice for the humans or justice for humanity?_

_"I told you before, didn't I?" Marlow said with a small chuckle._

 

"And that's where I stand," Jean said, finally picking open the lock and swinging open the doors, "Even if I hate your guts more than anything in this world, I can't let someone suffer like that,"

The two made their way done the tunnel, spiralling down at least three stories before finally entering another pitch black tunnel, "Where are we?" Reiner asked as Jean made a quick torch.

"It used to be a dungeon before it was refurbished into a prison. It's not in use though since they just use the one at HQ," Jean explained, "I was originally assigned here till they passed me over to escorting Bertholdt. Luckily for us, no one ever takes guarding this place seriously,"

"You said there weren't prisoners here," Reiner replied.

Jean paused at a heavy wooden door that wasn't even locked, "There's only one prisoner here and since she can't move anyway, no one bothers guarding it," Jean pushed open the door and walked in first, holding his torch high in the air to illuminate the room.

Reiner could barely believe when he was seeing, "Annie," He gasped out at the sight of Annie trapped inside of a giant crystal.

Jean said, placing the torch upon a stand, " If you can somehow get her out, you'll definitely be able to save Bertholdt."

"How long has she been in here?" Reiner asked, touching the crystal. It was of similar composition to the plates on his armored form.

"Since the day she was captured. She encased herself in this crystal the moment we caught her," Jean explained, "No one's ever broken through and we've never gotten a single reaction from her," Jean looked to Reiner, seeing relief wash over him. He was absolutely thankful that the fate that fell upon Bertholdt had not fallen upon Annie as well, "Which means, of course, that she still has her titan shifting abilities,"

Jean honestly wasn't expecting it when Reiner suddenly hugged him. He couldn't see Reiner's face but he could tell that the man was overwhelmed with happiness. His hope was restored. Bertholdt could be saved.

"Um, hey, so, I can't really help you anymore after this, you know," Jean rambled while still in Reiner's hug, "I've got appearances to keep up and I think Mikasa is already suspicious of me. So, we're not meeting again, got it?"

Reiner nodded, letting go of Jean and patting his shoulders, "I got it. Thank you,"

Before Jean left, he handed Reiner one final package, "I think you'll need this," Reiner tore off the newspaper wrapping, revealing a leather bound book and a civilian issue anti-titan pistol. Reiner flipped through it briefly, already understanding what it was, "It's the schedule for Bertholdt's custody. You might need it."

"Right, thanks again," Reiner said, tucking the book into his jacket.

Jean gave him one final nod before leaving the room, never to speak to Reiner again. He took a heavy breath when he exited the dungeon, closing up the door and leaving the lock on the ground for Reiner to seal up after he left, "What the hell was I thinking?" Jean mumbled to himself with just the slightest of smiles.

 

He may have sat there for an hour, staring at the crystal, "Hey Annie, you always have such a hard time waking up. Since you've been sleeping for so long, I bet your waking face will look ten times scarier," Reiner joked when the tension was too much, "Come on Annie, speak to me," He muttered weakly as he stood up, pressing his palm to the crystal.

No more jokes, Annie deserved better than that, "Annie, we failed our mission. I failed, big time. I let the humans win and now Bertholdt has been captured. They're torturing him. Everything you said was right, at the core of the city is only corruption and evil and now Bertholdt is suffering the consequences of my failure." He pressed his second palm onto the crystal, "We lost our powers and now we're helpless against the humans. Now more than ever, I need you. Wake up Annie, _please,_ for Bertholdt's sake," He slammed his fist down on the crystal, so frustrated at himself, "I'm begging you, wake up!"

When there was no response, Reiner was ready to give up. He lifted his fist and was ready to leave before he noticed a pattern of cracks over where he punched the crystal. The cracks continued to spread till they made a spider web of slivers, "Annie!" Reiner cried out as the crystal shattered in front of him.

There she was, gracefully landing on her feet as if she hadn't been sleeping at all, merely floating in space waiting for the right time to respond. Her eyes opened, cold and beautiful as they always had been. She looked to Reiner searching for everything that has happened in his eyes. When she had her fill, she looked to the ground, examining the shards.

"Reiner," She said, stepping past the crystal shards, "What did you say about Bertholdt?"

The two headed out of the room, shutting the door behind them as Reiner walked on ahead, "I'll fill you in,"

It wasn't a pleasant talk. To be fair, any conversation with Annie, unless it was about hand-to-hand combat, was fairly harsh. This, on top of the plethora of bad news Reiner had to deliver only made the tension between the two even worse. Reiner could see the disappointment on Annie's face. She hated failure especially if she could have avoided it.

Reiner knew she'd chew him out later, that'd they'd be discussing this for hours and determining exactly what went wrong and what to fix next time... If there was a next time. For now, Bertholdt was first priority.

"Sickening," Annie remarked, glaring out of the small cave Reiner had previously used to hide. It was still the dead of night even after they left the prison and fled into the forest. Moonlight was the only source of illumination and it left everything in an almost ghostly pale tone.

"Looks like you were right all along," Reiner muttered, flipping through the agenda Jean had given him, "Everyone is a monster when the opportunity arises. Good people are rare," He noticed that the Survey Corps stamp was quite sparse in the book.

Annie took the pistol into her hand, un-chambering the single anti-titan bullet and examining it carefully, "What's the situation look like for Bertholdt?"

"Last I saw him, he could barely move. His regenerative factor is failing. And yesterday, they put him through hell. I can't say exactly how much longer he'll last," The words broke Reiner's heart but Annie needed to hear them, "Each faction gets him each day except for the Survey Corps. Looks like they gave up their time. The Garrison tends to go for public humiliation. The Survey Corps claims to use him for experimentation but I'm fairly sure they're using him to lure me out," Reiner didn't want to say what the Military Police were doing to him. Anytime he thought about it, all he could think about was Bertholdt writhing in pain as a million eyes watched and violated him.

Annie growled quietly. It was then Reiner remembered that Annie was in the Military Police for a short while. She already knew what they were capable of.

"Right," Reiner stuttered out, flipping through the agenda lazily, "The Military Police keeps him locked up inside HQ. The Garrison brings him out in public. And the Survey Corps have been using the forest," He had to carefully consider their options. First and foremost, Annie was their trump card. They would never expect her titan to appear. However, with the civilians handed anti-titan weapons, even the weakest man could take down her down with a single shot, "HQ is out of the question since we won't be able to use your titan in there. On top of that, too many riflemen who could shoot us down. Similarly, in public areas, everyone's armed with anti-titan pistols since they were distributed freely. That's out of the question for you. Our best bet is the forest when the Survey Corps has him,"

"No,"

"Huh?" He hadn't even gone through his entire thought process yet!

"Going in when the Survey Corps has him is out of the question," Annie replied, "They're expecting you which means they probably have more than enough plans and backup plans to take you down. And on top of that, Eren is there," Annie's gaze darkened, "Which effectively puts me out of commission if he catches me,"

Reiner had completely forgotten about Eren. He sighed heavily, dropping the agenda, "Then what do we do?"

"We go after him when the Garrison has him," Annie said, picking up the pistol in her hand, "These pistols are of poor construction, probably rushed out the moment they discovered this anti-titan poison," She pointed to a gap at the top where the flintlock mechanism rested, "Just a bit of water and this gunpowder is soaked."

The pieces were clicking together inside Reiner's had. Just a single day of rain, anyone out there would be soaked to the bone and their pistols were done for. The guards would probably be the only ones with proper firearms. Lucky for Reiner, there were only a few at a time.

"That takes care of the civilians," Annie said, "About the actual soldiers,"

"I can take care of them," Reiner said, "They'll probably have real guns on them but I doubt anyone this deep in the walls is good at 3D Maneuver. I'll take them down,"

Annie paused for a moment, obviously contemplating her options before nodding in agreement, "And once we have Bertholdt, we need to get out of there," She looked to the walls, remembering how she tried to climb them and how Mikasa had quickly dispatched her. She glowered at them; escaping over the walls was no option.

"Annie," Reiner said, calling for her attention, "How good are you at hardening your skin?"

 

Three days later, when the Garrison had Bertholdt in their custody, was one of the heaviest downpours the city had ever experienced. Luckily for them, the crowd was small that morning, most preferring to stay dry over having their fill of vengeance. Annie and Reiner stayed apart, hiding on either sides of the Hermiha central plaza.

Reiner was beginning to panic when the soldiers weren't showing up. Every day at the very break of dawn, the Garrison would walk Bertholdt to the pillory. Nearly half an hour had passed and no one was showing up. Reiner couldn't keep his thoughts from the worst case scenario: They were too late. Bertholdt died at the mercy of the Military Police and his corpse would be tossed out into the wilderness to be devoured by hounds to add further insult to his existence.

During his mild panic attack, Reiner spied Annie from across the plaza glaring daggers at him. _Focus_ , she said with her eyes. They couldn't be sure. Anything could have happened. And sure enough, the soldiers eventually arrived with Bertholdt in tow. All of them were dressed in raincoats, their rifles visibly sticking through. Bertholdt wasn't though and was left to weather through the intensely cold rain. He didn't look like he cared, expression blank and body limp as he compliantly bent over and let them restrain him.

Exactly 10:00 am, when everyone would be busy working, when the crowd would be thin enough to reduce the chance of failure, when the guards would leave Bertholdt behind to take their unofficial breaks, that was when they'd strike. Reiner had already positioned himself behind the wooden platform, incrementally making his way over while watching for soldiers. Annie stayed in the opposite alley, watching the clock tower with absolute concentration.

"No room for error," She whispered to herself, "Not this time,"

Before the clock tower bell even reached its tenth ring, an explosion erupted from the Hermiha plaza. There she stood, in all her grand beauty after a year of rest.

"Titan!" Civilians shouted, panicking the moment they saw her. Most of them abandoned their pistols and ran. The sight of a true titan that could fight back revealed everyone's true, pitiful, pathetic nature.

"You bitch!" One man shouted, pointing his pistol at her point-blank, "Die!"

Annie couldn't stop the maddening smile from spreading over her lips when the gun shot a water-clogged blank at her. Before the man could even check his pistol, she stepped down on him, crushing him beneath her feet. If the civilians were still standing their ground, Annie's cruel display would have sent them all running away.

"It's the female titan!" One Garrison soldier shouted as he drew his pistol, "Take her down! It'll only take one shot!" Three more followed after him, two from the military police, none of them Jean.

Before they could even step onto the platform, Reiner cut them to pieces from behind, slashing through the back of their necks in ironic revenge, "This is for Bertholdt," He growled, running over their bodies and onto the wooden platform, "Bertholdt!" He cried out. He didn't have time to worry over him even if Bertholdt failed to make even the slightest response. He cut him free of his bonds, picking him up onto his shoulder, "Annie!"

As soon as she heard him, she abandoned the civilians she had been tormenting and scooped them up. Holding them against her chest with a single hand, she fled at full speed to the edge of the city.

When Reiner was sure that he wouldn't slip out of Annie's grasp, he lowered Bertholdt from his shoulder and cradled him in his arms, "Bertl," He muttered. No response. He touched a hand to his forehead, noticing that Bertholdt's forehead was burning but the rest of his body was nearly ice cold. Without medicine or bandages, there wasn't much Reiner could do other than take off his raincoat and bundled Bertholdt up, trying to help him save whatever body heat was left in his body.

"Stop right there!" A soldier shouted. The sound of 3DM gear was almost lost in the torrential rain.

"Behind you!" Reiner shouted, alerting her of the incoming soldiers.

Grasping them in a tighter hold, Annie turned in an instant and delivered a swift kick to the incoming soldiers, sending them to the ground in a heap of bloody pulp. With the momentum of her kick, Annie slid back smoothly in the other direction and resumed her run.

Reiner kept a tight hold on Bertholdt, afraid the slippery rain would make him fall right through the cracks. He had gotten so thin; Reiner could feel his ribs through the raincoat, "A bit smoother wouldn't kill you, would it?" Reiner shouted to Annie.

She didn't respond. Instead, she lifted her thumb, prompting Reiner to look out. The gate was right in front of them with soldiers all lined up against it with rifles aimed right at her, "Shit," Reiner hissed. If Annie were to charge now, there was no guarantee that a single bullet wouldn't hit her. Without her titan form, their chances of escape were nothing. There was an alternative though. Reiner held onto his sword handle, looking out at the soldiers. There were at least eighteen of them but most of them appeared to be Military Police. At close range, they wouldn't dare use their rifles lest they hit each other. If Reiner could get close, he could slay a few, distract the rest.

"Annie, hold onto Bertholdt," Reiner said, resting Bertholdt against her palm, "I'm going to distract them. You run off with him," This was something he had to do. It was his duty to protect Bertholdt. He gripped the handle of his sword, looking one last time at Bertholdt before pressing down the handle, firing his hooks.

Only to be stopped by Annie closing her thumb over the space, trapping him and Bertholdt in darkness, "What... what are you doing!"

Annie, mad with determination and conviction, screamed at him, "Just shut up and trust me!" Her voice echoing through her titan body to reach Reiner.

The moment she entered shooting range, the moment every soldier fired, the moment Reiner abandoned his doubts and put his full faith in Annie, her entire body crystallized, blocking every single shot.

"Shit! Shit! Retreat!" The captain shouted.

"Retreat!"

"Get out of the way!"

Soldiers scrambled away in fear, not even bothering to fire a second shot as Annie came at them at full speed like a rampaging beast. "Military Police Brigade," Annie muttered to herself as she continued to charge, "At the end of the day, when real terror strikes you, you're all just the same. Pitiful, pathetic, _human_ ,"

The gate shattered to pieces when she tackled through the gate. Annie opened her hand allowing Reiner to reel himself away from the body with Bertholdt in his arms. As a final salute to Wall Sina, she crystallized her entire body before bursting out from inside, creating a perfect crystal cork in the gate.

It was a waiting game now, waiting for Annie's stamina to return and hoping that the cork would hold long enough for them to escape on their 3DM gear. With Bertholdt safely tucked in his arms, Reiner soared on ahead. For once in a very long time, there was _hope_.


	2. Wall Rose

There was little resistance after they had escaped Wall Sina. With Annie's speed and the sheer terror of seeing a titan in the walls, no one had been able to catch up with them. Not even the sound of galloping horses was heard. It was just as Reiner and Annie had planned.

Annie had been running for at least several hours with Reiner and Bertholdt sitting in her grasp. The rain had cleared when they reached a large open field and only now they were beginning to dry off. Bertholdt's condition hadn't gotten better though. His eyes were open, he was breathing, but he did not respond to anything, not even the abrupt rocking of Annie running over uneven terrain. All Reiner could do was cling to him tightly and hope for the best.

"Hey, Bertl," Reiner murmured. He stroked the side of Bertholdt's face gently, twitching at how intensely feverish he was. Taking his cold wrist in hand, Reiner could just barely feel his pulse. They had to get Bertholdt to medical attention or else he'd die before they even made it to Wall Rose, "Annie!" Reiner shouted. She looked down at him but kept her brisk pace, "We need to get him medical attention or at least something to eat. Find a place and un-shift," Annie ignored him, looking back up as she ran, "He's going to die before we even reach the wall!" Reiner said with a firmer voice, "Listen to me!"

Annie stopped where she was. For a moment, Reiner thought he had actually convinced her. His thoughts were silenced when Annie crept out from the throat, looking Reiner in the eye while her body remained connected to her titan form.

"You do realize we're taking a huge risk staying inside Wall Rose, right?" Annie said, "Those Military Police cowards might be too scared to chase after us but don't forget what Wall Rose had become."

 _Wall Rose Sick Bay_ , part research facility, part hospital for the titans that had recovered their human form. More importantly was who led the Sick Bay, the _Survey Corps_ , the most formidable soldiers in the army.

"It won't be long until word spreads to the Survey Corps about our escape. Once they're on our tail, our chances of escape will be reduced to nothing," Annie explained, staring at Reiner intensely, hoping to intimidate him into following her, "They're already in Wall Rose district. It wouldn't take them long to track us down,"

Reiner stared back with the same intensity, gripping Bertholdt close to his chest as he spoke, "Then leave me here with Bertholdt. The Survey Corps _may_ catch us but if we keep moving, Bertholdt will _surely_ die."

Annie sighed, shaking her head as she sunk back into her titan body, "Idiot," She changed course immediately, jogging to the west. Reiner looked through her fingers and spotted an abandoned village up ahead. Annie must've spied it while she was running.

Reiner sighed heavily, "Thanks,"

The village looked freshly abandoned. It was small, containing only eight or so buildings and one tiny windmill. The pens were all empty but the fields still had some lingering fresh produce. Reiner and Annie both noticed something off the moment they stepped in.

"Looks kind of well maintained here," Reiner said, walking slowly with Bertholdt on his back, "Some of the locks are still on the doors. I wonder why they left," He was startled when he heard Annie kicking through a window behind him, "Hey!" He called out.

"There's a couple beds and an oven in here. Let's put it to good use," She replied flatly before leaping in through the window and unlocking the door from the inside, "Hurry it up, this was your idea after all," Despite her harsh tone, Annie didn't sound frightening at all. She actually sounded quite relieved.

As soon as Bertholdt was tucked into bed, Annie left the building to search for fresh food, taking a hunting knife along with her. Reiner opted to stay inside to watch Bertholdt, soaking towels in cold water, "There you go Bertl, better?" He asked as he laid a fresh towel over his Bertholdt's forehead. His friend did not react, merely continuing to stare blankly at the ceiling.  Pulling down the sheets slightly, Bertholdt noticed that his bruises, particularly the heavy ones around his neck and wrists, had not healed up in the slightest since they had saved him.

Reiner's hands eventually fell upon his shirt. They hadn't changed him out of his prison garb. Even with a single touch, Reiner could feel a sickening layer of grime and dirt over the cloth. He reluctantly stepped away from Bertholdt, searching the house for clothes. He ended  up searching two more houses before picking up a suitable set of clothing for Bertholdt.

Reiner chuckled as he walked back in with the new clothing, "Have I ever mentioned that you're way too tall?" He joked to no one, laying out the clothes on the bedstead. He desperately tried to keep his smile up even when Bertholdt didn't respond, "Couldn't find clothing for you anywhere. I'm glad they got some other giant living here. I bet you two would get along," He smiled, wide, hopeful, and utterly desperate.

Reiner didn't know why he bothered to pause. Bertholdt wasn't going to respond, not now at least. Instead, he pulled the sheets over and began undressing him, keeping his body hidden under the blanket to keep him warm. He picked up the prison rags, reminding himself to burn them later. Reiner couldn't deny that the lack of underwear was unsettling.

On his way back after ditching the prison clothing outside, Reiner spotted a metal basin and carried it in, "Hey, do you want a bath too? I can get some hot water and wipe you down," Reiner suggested as he stepped in, "Bertl..." The basin dropped from his hands, landing on his toe sending a jolt of pain through his body. He didn't pay it any attention though, his mind entirely focused and horror-struck by what he saw.

Bertholdt had sat up; his expression was still empty and weak but the fact that he had even _moved_ was relieving for Reiner. Sitting up straight with the blanket just covering up his lap, revealing all of his back and most of his torso, Reiner could see a catalogue of suffering and agony mapped along Bertholdt's body. There was not a single inch of Bertholdt's skin that hadn't been marred by bruises or welts. At best, the bruises had mostly faded away leaving a yellowish stain. At worst, his skin was broken open, surrounded by a patch of blue-purple, swollen flesh. The second thing Reiner noticed was a multitude of what looked like bite marks. Particularly around his neck and the back, it looked as if a dog had been teething on it like a chunk of meat.

At close inspecting, Reiner could see thin scars, almost like the thread of a spider web spreading all over his body. He could only assume that these cuts were sealed up before his regenerative factor began to falter. Worst of all, however, were the horrifyingly frequent patches of heavily burned tissue that made his skin look like melted wax that was flaking off leaving angry, raw flesh and boils in its place.

Reiner could only think of how he held Bertholdt, as tightly as he could for so many hours as Annie ran. He ran to Bertholdt's side, falling to his knees, "Why didn't you tell me I was hurting you?" He cried. It killed him to know that he was the reason why Bertholdt hadn't moved a muscle the entire time. He used up all his energy trying to endure the pain of Reiner pressing against all of his wounds at once.

Bertholdt said nothing, turning his head to the metal basin Reiner had dropped. Reiner had to save his regrets for later. For now, he took the basin off the ground and filled it with water from the well, heating it briefly using the oven before bringing it back of to Bertholdt. Gently, Reiner took Bertholdt by his arms and coaxed him into sitting at the edge of the bed, careful not to put any pressure on his worst wounds. Reiner had to avert his eyes from Bertholdt's legs. The injuries were identical to the ones on his torso. The only difference was a cruel mess of bruises all along the inside of his thighs.

The more he looked at Bertholdt, the more he realized how much he had truly failed.

No more smiling, no more jokes, Reiner dampened the towel in warm water and began wiping down Bertholdt's body. He moved slowly, stopping whenever Bertholdt would flinch when Reiner would touch one of his heavy burns. The tub of water quickly became a sickening stew of filth and blood. As Reiner patted him dry, unable to even crack the smallest of smiles, Bertholdt leaned forward and pressed his face into Reiner's neck.

"Bertl?" Reiner murmured quietly, placing the towel aside gently as Bertholdt stayed where he was, almost nuzzling Reiner's neck. His forehead was still burning hot to the touch and left a sticky patch of sweat on Reiner's shoulder.

When Reiner pulled away for just a moment to soak the towel on his forehead with fresh water, Bertholdt watched him with pleading eyes, making a soft whining sound when Reiner went to toss out the grimy bathing water. Reiner understood exactly what Bertholdt wanted. As soon as he filled himself a pitcher of cool, fresh water and placed a new towel over Bertholdt's forehead, Reiner climbed into the bed and sat behind him, leaning against the backboard for support. He reclined Bertholdt gently onto his chest, letting the taller man lay between his legs as he rest. Reiner understood: Bertholdt needs to be with him _right now._ Reiner initially was overjoyed by this notion, glad that Bertholdt still had enough energy to want. Another frightening idea soon crept its way into Reiner's mind. Bertholdt needed him right now because there wouldn't be any other time. _Bertholdt knew he was going to die._

Wrapping an arm gently around Bertholdt's chest with trembling hands, Reiner tucked his head into Bertholdt's shoulder, "I'm so sorry," He whispered, "I failed you. If I hadn't lost my way, if I didn't stray from you to become a soldier, this wouldn't have happened," He fought the urge to hug him any tighter, not wanting to agitate his wounds anymore, "I'm begging you, please _don't die_ ," He swallowed his sobs, stopping his tears. He had to be strong, always be strong, for Bertholdt's sake.

"Hey, I got some food," Annie's voice came from outside. She stepped into the room, carrying a freshly gutted rabbit and some radishes, "I saw some rice in here too. I guess we can make some stew and..."

In their moment of intimacy, Reiner had forgotten to pull the blanket over Bertholdt leaving him completely exposed. Embarrassed for Bertholdt's sake, Reiner immediately reached for the blanket on the ground, "Oh hell, sorry you had to see that," It was only after did Reiner realize what had stunned her. She hadn't seen the extent of Bertholdt's injuries till now and now that she had seen them, she was absolutely furious.

She tossed the rabbit and carrots onto the counter top outside, rushing out with an quiet, overwhelming fury. Reiner struggled to get off the bed, successfully placing Bertholdt down without a hitch before running out after her, "Annie, where are you going?" He grabbed her shoulder, turning her around to examine the horrific scowl on her face.

"I'm going to kill them all," She snarled.

"Calm down, there's nothing we can do!" Reiner shouted.

"There's _plenty_ I can do," Annie snapped back as she flipped out the hidden blade in her ring, face more frighteningly furious by the second, "I'll kill every single one of them,"

Reiner grabbed her hand, stopping her, "Annie!" He shouted as loud as he could, snapping her out of her fury induced trance, "Bertholdt needs us right now!" Annie looked like she was ready to maul him to pieces.

He could tell how hard a decision was this for her. She gave in though, putting her ring away and walking back inside. The two immediately went to Bertholdt's side after they saw him reaching for both of them, mouthing words at them.

Despite Annie protesting that Reiner was the better chef, Annie had been tasked with making the rabbit and radish stew while Reiner stayed in bed with Bertholdt, changing his towel once in a while and humming to him as he slept. Reiner smiled when he saw Annie come in with the pot of stew. He was starving, they all probably were, but none of them could admit it.

"Hey, Bertl," Reiner nudged Bertholdt gently, watching at the man lifted his head off Reiner's chest and looked to Annie, "Look, Annie made us food," At the sight and smell off food, Reiner had expected Bertholdt to gobble it out hungrily. Instead, the taller man faced forward and dozed off again on Reiner's chest.

They understood that he had no appetite. No one could after suffering the hell he went through. Annie suggested to wait it out, let Bertholdt rest and eat later. Reiner rejected the notion almost instantly, "He'll die if we wait it out. We force him to eat, if we have to," Reiner took a bowl of stew in his left hand and a spoon in the other. Nudging Bertholdt awake with his shoulder, Reiner held a spoonful right at his lips.

"It's good. Annie made it for you," Reiner said, almost cooing into Bertholdt's ear like he was a child, "You need your energy," Bertholdt nearly dozed off again before Reiner shook him awake, "Come on Bertl, you have to eat something or you're going to die," Bertholdt had been sentenced more than a week ago. If what Jean had said was true, other than the scraps Marlow would sneak in, Bertholdt would have had nothing to eat for more than a week. Coupled with his physical state, his regenerative factor was really the only thing that was keeping him alive, "Bertholdt!" Reiner shouted when the taller man turned away from the spoon.

Bertholdt flinched at the sound of his voice. Annie noticed him trembling in Reiner's grasp, "Reiner, stop. You're scaring him. He's probably feeling sick, we should wait till..." She was cut short by Reiner pushing the bowl into her hands.

"He'll die if he doesn't eat," Reiner said, wrapping his freed arm around Bertholdt's chest, "Please Bertl, you have to eat something," He said, bringing the spoon over to Bertholdt's mouth again only for the taller man to twist his head away.

Bertholdt was beginning to struggle weakly. Annie noticed it immediately but Reiner, blinded by determination, completely missed it, "Reiner!" She called out too late.

In desperation, Reiner grabbed Bertholdt's chin. trying to force his mouth open to feed him. Almost immediately, Bertholdt screamed, thrashing in Reiner's arms. Reiner immediately slackened his grip, letting Bertholdt crawl away frantically to the edge of the bed. He couldn't think, so clouded by fear and pain that he just kept kicking at the sheets trying to get away from Reiner. He almost dove off the bed head first, stopped only by Reiner wrapping his arms around him and hauling him right back to the front of the bed, tossing the spoon away in the process.

Bertholdt screamed and wailed like a frightened animal at the mercy of a cruel hunter. He struggled madly. His adrenaline masking the aching pain caused by his rapid movements. When he no longer had the energy left to struggle or scream, Bertholdt burst into tears and hung his head in defeat. He could never win. He would always be overpowered. This was the cruel lesson engraved into Bertholdt by the state.

Reiner did nothing, merely hugging Bertholdt right up against his chest and waiting it out. Annie crept on the bed shortly after Bertholdt's wailing tears became soft sniffles. She held the spoon of stew out to him again, trying to coax him into eating it. This time, Bertholdt opened his mouth obediently and ate everything Annie fed him. _Never can win. Always overpowered. Hurts less if you give in_.

If Bertholdt could speak, he would have told them how unbearable the stomach cramps were whenever he ate. Only in the last few days just before the Survey Corps had custody of him, anytime Bertholdt tried to eat, he'd suffer from crippling stomach cramps that left him a writhing mess. He suspected that they must've snuck something in, poisoned him somehow to prevent kind souls like Marlow from feeding him. More likely though, his body was just far too damaged to properly process food.

He clung onto Reiner's shirt, sobbing hard as he weathered through the throbbing pain in his stomach. Reiner held him close, whispering words of solace to him that fell only on Annie's ears. Bertholdt fought the growing urge to vomit. He had done it once and all it did was add a sour pain in his stomach and mouth along with the aching throb.

He groaned loudly, tucking his head under Reiner's chin, "It's going to be alright," Reiner whispered to him, "Bertl, everything will be alright,"

Annie said nothing. She didn't tell lies when there was no one to believe them.

They had hoped some sleep would be of use to Bertholdt. Reiner and Annie certainly needed it. Instead, the two were kept wide awake by Bertholdt talking in his sleep, begging, pleading, _screaming_. In the dead of night, the two gave up on sleeping and decided to search the village for supplies instead. They gathered all the food they could find into the house they commandeered and left everything that may be of use outside.

"Any medicine?" Annie asked as Reiner came by with a large box.

"Nothing, but look at this," He took out several canisters of gas, "Looks like someone here was a soldier. These supplies will do us well," He placed them inside along with the food. Through the sliver of the door, Reiner could see Bertholdt struggling in his sleep again as if someone had held him down by his shoulders.

Annie grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him out abruptly, shutting the door behind them, "We need to talk about Bertholdt. His regenerative factor isn't kicking in,"

"He's just out of juice," Reiner replied, still hopeful, "If we give him regular meals, he should be able to heal up completely," Whether or not they were caught before that was a different story.

"His fever isn't going down. He clearly has some stomach bug. And who knows what else he might've caught from the Military Police," Her words were almost too harsh, making Reiner cringe and look away embarrassed, "At the very least, he needs a doctor."

Reiner snorted, "A doctor? Who would help us?" The cheap posters with Bertholdt's face plastered all over Wall Sina district came to Reiner's mind, "They know how Bertholdt looks. They've probably got posters of us going around too now,"

Annie stabbed a finger accusingly into his chest, "You're the one who made me stop running to save Bertholdt. Are you really just going to let him die in vain?"

"As long as he gets enough of his energy back..."

"He won't get any of his energy back!" It was so rare for Annie to shout and show so much sadness in her voice, Reiner was completely taken aback. Face still distraught with sorrow, Annie looked away from Reiner as she spoke, "Don't get me wrong. I care about Bertholdt but I can't pretend that everything will be alright. He needs medical attention or he will die,"

There wouldn't be a doctor in the world that would help Bertholdt right now. Not a single person in the walls had even the slightest pity for titans. Reiner knew he could try looking for his old comrades. Some of them must be willing to help, just like Jean had.

But... Jean was a special case. If he hadn't been exposed to the evils of the city, there was no doubt that he'd never side with Reiner. The rest of them, battle-hardened and pure, would never understand what Bertholdt had gone through. Even worst, with Annie free, all three of them were now an intense threat. It wasn't just a cleanup mission anymore as it was with him and Bertholdt, trying to tie up loose ends. This was a manhunt for the most dangerous criminals of the city.

Reiner's hopes were dwindling away, leaving him with nothing but denial. Annie reached out to him, clasping onto his shoulder trying to give him some sort of comfort. All it did was confirm his fears. He tore away, nearly charging down the door as he ran to Bertholdt's side. He heard Annie shout at him but he ignored her, rushing right to Bertholdt's side and clutching him in his arms like this was his very last day in the world.

Bertholdt stirred, jumping slightly at the intense weight pressing down on his body. He struggled a bit, his wounds becoming agitated by the hold. However, the moment he heard a loud, wailing sob from Reiner, Bertholdt immediately froze. Even the pain itself subsided at the sound and feel of Reiner's tears.

Without restraint, Reiner cried into Bertholdt's hair. _Failure again, Another broken promise_ , Reiner thought. He couldn't be the beacon of unwavering conviction that Bertholdt need him to be. He couldn't be _anything_ for him.

He felt Annie's hand on his back. He didn't look at her though, afraid to let go of Bertholdt fearing that he'd slip away into an endless sleep, "It's my fault our mission failed," He cried out, trying to keep his sobs from interrupting his words, "I was weak. I couldn't kill our friends when I had the chance,"

During those endless nights alone, sneaking around Wall Rose like a rat trying to survive, Reiner had countless hours to piece together everything that he could have done. If he had killed Eren, the humans would have never learned of the titans. If he had killed Ymir, the humans would have never been able to derive a cure using her blood. If he had killed Krista, he wouldn't have let her kind words and his deluded fantasy prevent him from running away. If he had killed Armin, they would have never captured Bertholdt without his superior strategist skills. Any of these four and he would still be a titan, still be strong, and Bertholdt would still be well.

But now here he was, a failure with the one he truly loves sitting at death's door.

"It isn't your fault," Annie said, looking away, "After all, we're only human."

Bertholdt weathered through this for just a few more days. He'd wake up in the afternoon with a fresh towel on his head. Reiner and Annie would alternate between cooking and keeping watch. Reiner would exclusively bathe Bertholdt while Annie was the one who redid his bandages, made from bed sheets they found around the village. They both fed him together and then let Bertholdt cling to them as he endured the gnawing pain inside him.

Reiner hoped that this could go on longer, hoped that eventually Bertholdt would stand up from the bed, smile to him, and ask Annie to bring them all home. It was only the final day of the week when Reiner and Annie decided to go hunting did everything finally break apart.

It started off with the norm, Bertholdt dozing away even during the afternoon. Everything was quiet. If Bertholdt concentrated, he could hear the long grass swaying by the door. This was true peace till an agonizing pain erupted from his left rib. Bertholdt screamed and snapped his eyes wide open, finding himself trapped in a forest with the Survey Corps surrounding him.

 _All a dream? I never escaped?_ Bertholdt tried to mutter aloud only to cringe when he accidentally stretched the cut on his lips. He struggled, feeling the bite of the manacles threatening to tear his arms right out of his shoulders. Everything hurt so much, so unbearably much. He wasn't sure when he was crying. He was probably crying all along. Probably begging, but no one gave him sympathy.

"A lot of people can't look at you," It was Eren's voice. Eren's form, standing a mere foot away from him slowly faded into view, "But I can, Colossal Titan. When I kill you, I'll make sure it hurts more than anything you have ever felt," Given how much pain Bertholdt was already in and the intense conviction in Eren's eyes, Bertholdt couldn't help but believe his threats. He whimpered in fear and cried harder, "You want the pain to stop, right?" Of course he did. Bertholdt couldn't comprehend what Eren was asking. He didn't get a chance to search for an ulterior motive before Eren jammed the fiery hot prong right into the middle of his chest making him scream and writhe, "You can call out whoever you want but no one will come. No one here will save you. No one _human_ will save you."

The heavy emphasis on the word 'human' should have been a tip off right away. Bertholdt didn't catch it though, couldn't think over his suffering as Eren refused to lift the prong away, "Reiner...will save...me," Bertholdt whispered to himself. Reiner wasn't human, after all.

"We saw him around here, you know. I'm sure if you call for him, he'll come and rescue you," Eren's voice was distant now, like he had backed away.

All at once, Bertholdt could feel at least five points of white-hot pain on his body, stabbing into his flesh and breaking skin. Bertholdt screamed, throwing his head back, "REINER!" He writhed hard in his bounds, nearly breaking the branches he was suspended on, "Reiner! Reiner! Help!"

"REINER!" Bertholdt screamed as his eyes snapped open. Struggling till the blanket was coiled around him, Bertholdt rolled off the bed with a heavy thud, reawakening dull pains throughout his body. On the ground, he writhed as the pain grew and grew like his entire body was dipped into the Survey Corps' fire pit, every single prong white-hot and stabbed straight through his body. He clawed at his own flesh, trying to get away from his searing hot skin, all while calling out the name of his most beloved friend, "Reiner..." He violently twitched on the ground, the heat overwhelming to the point of pain.

And then he stopped.

And when they found him, Reiner lost it.

"No, no, no," Reiner muttered in a haze of sadness, "Bertl, Bertl, you're fine, right?" He fell to his knees, pulling away the blood stained blanket to reveal all the wounds Bertholdt had torn open in a fit. He held his hand over his nose and lips, no breath, "Annie, hold his head back, I'm going to give him CPR,"

"Reiner, he's..."

"ANNIE!" Reiner barked, cocking Bertholdt's head back. She complied, for Reiner's sake more than Bertholdt's. She pinched his nose shut as Reiner furiously pumped at Bertholdt's chest, "Wake up, wake up," He begged as he leaned down and blew a breath of air down Bertholdt's throat. With the force that he was pumping with, he knew that he would have broken a few of Bertholdt's ribs. It didn't matter though, not now. If this didn't work, Berthold would surely die. He took another deep breath, blowing it down Bertholdt's throat, "Wake up!" Reiner cried again, still pumping on his chest while Annie looked on hopelessly, "There's so much I haven't said yet. I haven't told you how sorry I was for leaving you all alone back when we were training. How I forgot my path while you kept going forward," Another breath of air and back to chest compression, "How much you mean to me,"

"Reiner, it's over," Annie murmured.

"It's always been you! It's never been Krista!" Reiner shouted at the top of his lungs, pumping his chest one more time.

And a miracle happened. Bertholdt took a breath. Annie and Reiner were stunned by this sudden burst of mercy in this cruel world. He opened his eyes, whole body trembling weakly as he reached upward. Reiner and Annie both took his hand, frightened by the deathly coldness of it. Reiner may have revived him but all of them knew he wouldn't last much longer.

Scooping up into his arms, Reiner carried him outside where the sun could warm him up. Bertholdt turned his head into Reiner's neck, breathing in deeply trying to remember everything about Reiner and Annie before everything finally faded away. Annie followed after them, staring at Bertholdt and failing to keep a neutral expression.

There wasn't much time left. Reiner could write several books with the amount of things he wanted to say to Bertholdt and it still wouldn't be enough. He wanted to spend the rest of his life telling Bertholdt everything inside him but now, he had to make it quick. He had to pick out the most important thing to say and shout it out before all was lost.

It wasn't hard to figure out.

 _I love you_.

The words never left his mouth, interrupted by the voice of a goddess, "Reiner? Annie?"

Annie looked, "Krista..." Reiner didn't tear away from Bertholdt in case he slipped away while he wasn't looking. Annie's gaze remained on Krista's face for just a split second before falling down to what she held: _Medical Supplies_. There were three soldiers behind her, all dressed in a Survey Corps jacket but without 3DM gear. At closer inspection, Annie noticed the subtle change in their emblems: Two white wings on a red backing.

"Wall Rose Medical Bay?" Annie inquired. She didn't have time to confirm, she fell to her knees in front of Krista, "Please save Bertholdt," She didn't shout but the intensity of her words was the same, "I'm begging you."

Krista had every right to reject them, every right to let Bertholdt die, shoot Annie with an anti-titan pistol, and then take Reiner in to be tortured, "Of course I will," Was all she said, despite her god-given rights. 

And hope was restored, once more.

 

Turning their temporary house into a makeshift emergency room was no small feat but Krista along with the three Wall Rose Sickbay Doctors in her brigade made short work of it. Instead of taking the bed, they laid out a thick wool over the kitchen table and placed Bertholdt on it. In perfect unison, the three doctors immediately began their work on Bertholdt. Krista assisted them, bringing in tubs of fresh water and fresh cloth whenever they needed it. Annie and Reiner were forced outside despite Reiner's insistence to help them. Krista told them that after several incidents at the sick bay, the doctors were shaky to trust anyone without the Survey Corps emblem on their back.

"Stop fidgeting," Annie said, seated by the door and watching Reiner pace back and forth.

"I can't help it. Bertholdt's in there," Reiner muttered as he kept pacing, "We almost lost him there. I don't want the last thing for him to see be three strangers hovering over him,"

Reiner's head perked up as he heard the backdoor open again. After the first few times, Krista had began emptying out used water basins using the backdoor instead of the front. She had been startled by Reiner's horrified expression every time she brought out a basin of water that had become thick and murky with blood and dirt and decided that it would be better if she avoided Reiner during her task. Reiner knew exactly what he'd see, knew that it'd just be Krista emptying out another basin of water. Regardless, he couldn't stop himself from wandering over. It made him feel closer to Bertholdt somehow.

Just as he was about to move again, Annie grabbed his arm and hauled him back, "Stop that. You're not doing yourself any favours with that,"

"I need to see him," Reiner replied, wrenching his arm away from her.

"Don't we have more important things to talk about right now?" Annie said, eyes darting to the front door, "Like, what they're going to do when they realize that we are titans. And _Krista_ , can we trust her?" Annie pulled Reiner down, sitting him beside her on the stone steps across from the makeshift emergency room, "We need to consider our options here."

"We can trust Krista," Reiner replied quickly, "She forgave Ymir after she admitted that all she ever wanted from Krista was to use her as a bargaining chip. And now that she's seen Bertholdt, there's no way she'll turn us in,"

"Ymir was her best friend. I remember that much," Annie replied, "She also didn't intentionally cause the deaths of millions of people."

Reiner huffed. He hated how cynical Annie could get about everything, "Krista is a good person! Why can't you just trust her?"

"Don't let your feelings for her get in the way," Annie snapped back.

It wasn't a fact. She knew the true Reiner treasured Bertholdt most. Still, bringing up the feelings he developed for her when he had fully assimilated into his soldier persona stung, badly. It made him think about all those times he flirted with Krista while Bertholdt was right in front of them, all those times he saw Bertholdt crying when he thought he was all alone.

"Just shut up," He grumbled, leaning forward on his knees and looking away from Annie.

The honest truth was that Reiner had no plan at all. There was absolutely nothing on his mind except for Bertholdt's safety. When the two had stewed in silence long enough, Reiner ended up talking about the only thing that mattered to him, "When he's back to his normal self, I'll tell him the truth,"

"Going to tell him that 'weakness in their ass' statement was meant for him?" It was a pitiful attempt of a joke from Annie but it made Reiner laugh regardless.

"Going to tell him I love him," Reiner corrected, straight and direct, "And that I'm sorry for putting him through years of loneliness."

Annie shrugged briefly, "It wasn't years. There were moments when you came back just briefly," Annie looked to him, "Those really were the only moments that kept Bertholdt going,"

Reiner could recount those moments if he concentrated hard enough. He remembered when he had to confront Annie in her titan form, remembered how he had to put on a good show for Jean and Armin while simultaneously carving out instructions into her hand. He remembered, in an adrenaline and fear-fueled haze, Bertholdt saving his life by driving a pitchfork into the titan behind him. He remembered that look in his eyes, a mixture of relief and happiness, when Reiner swore that they'd return to their hometown.

He remembered Bertholdt's defeated expression when Reiner had absently questioned what he meant by 'warrior'.

Groaning loudly, Reiner gripped onto his head and hid his face in his arms. The memories of being so close and so far from Bertholdt were too painful. Annie looked to him as he crumpled up within himself. Annie knew she had no right of criticizing Reiner for losing his way. If she had killed Armin when she first met him in her titan form, there'd be no doubt that the circumstances would be different. She ended up placing a single hand on Reiner's back, rubbing her hand in circles as an attempt to comfort him.

"You know, Bertholdt didn't want you to be a warrior," Annie said. Reiner looked to her, confused and intrigued, "He saw how happy you were as a soldier so he decided that he'd take on the burden of a warrior all on his own. I knew deep down, he wanted you back more than anything but he told me that just having your happiness was good enough."

"When did he even have time to tell you that?" Reiner asked.

"Do you remember the day Bertholdt was punished for not waking up? He had a nightmare that day and you weren't there to shake him out of it," Annie explained, "Instead, you were out with Krista,"

A pang of guilt immediately struck Reiner. He slowly recalled that day; it was one of his best days as a soldier, spending time with Krista and Ymir tagging along to cock-block him at every turn. The only thing he regret that day... was seeing Bertholdt so upset at night, "Yeah, I remember," He replied.

"That's when he told me,"

"Shit, why don't I know any of this?" Reiner asked, "What else did I miss?"

Annie looked to him, almost pitying him for how pathetic he had become. Long ago, Annie might've considered Reiner the backbone of their team. Since the day he became a soldier, Annie could only look upon him with everlasting pity.

"Bertholdt said," It would have been cruel to keep the information from him especially since Bertholdt would never have the heart to say it to Reiner's face, "The only thing he wants is for you to be happy, even if it's without him,"

"Reiner, Annie!" Krista's voice interrupted them and she burst through the front door. Her cloak was off and her shirt was stained clearly with blood, "You can come in now,"

The two stood immediately, almost fighting to get in first. Reiner hesitated as he stepped towards the door, looking to Krista for answers, "Is he...?"

"He's alive. The doctors stabilized him. He'll need rest though," Krista replied, stepping aside as Annie pushed past her and into the living room. Reiner followed closely after Annie, "He's going to need antibiotics and probably more medical care if he's going to recover," Krista explained.

Reiner nodded back in response, too preoccupied with trying to just get inside and see Bertholdt. He nearly shoved two of the doctors to the floor just to clear the way. The first thing he noticed when he entered was the blissful expression on Bertholdt's face. For once, he looked like he was truly sleeping and not just forcing his eyes shut. The majority of his body was covered in tightly wound bandages, most of it made from actual gauze while others were made from spare cloth. At closer inspection, Reiner noticed stitches on his face and other parts of his body, partially hidden by bandages.

"Man, that was a hell of a lot of work," The younger, female doctor said, wiping away the sweat on her forehead and blood on her hands, "What happened to your friend?"

It was clear to them Krista hadn't said a thing. Reiner swallowed, quickly coming up with an excuse, "He was kidnapped. During the war," He knew he couldn't blame the titans for the damage on Bertholdt's body. Only humans could do this type of harm, "We only found him now,"

"I see, my condolences," The elderly doctor said, cleaning up his tools, "Anyway, I need a smoke."

"I need some air too," The third doctor, a middle aged redheaded woman, said as she stepped out. The other two doctors followed after leaving Krista with Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt.

"What's this thing?" Reiner asked as he watched Krista pull out the plastic tube that had been feeding Bertholdt fluid through his arm.

"It's a new device the sickbay has been using. It's used to feed in nutrients directly to the blood," Krista explained as she traced the tube up to the packet of medicinal fluid at the top, "His stomach was inflamed. He couldn't eat without throwing it back up," Krista explained, watching as Reiner wrapped Bertholdt up in the wool and brought him back to the softer bed.

"Thanks Krista," Reiner said, pulling a blanket over Bertholdt's body.

Krista nodded back, a sad look in her eyes. The sadness lasted for just a moment before Krista made eye contact with Annie. Annie hadn't moved or said a single word since she entered the room. She was watching Krista, waiting for her inevitable betrayal.

Krista swallowed as she sat down on a stool between Annie and Reiner, "So, you three must be at large now, right?"

Reiner did not reply, too busy trying to make the bed as comfortable as possible for Bertholdt's sake. His hands occasionally drifted to his face, stroking it in a soft, affectionate manner. When it was clear that Reiner was too preoccupied with Bertholdt, Annie spoke up, "Yes," Annie replied, "We left Wall Sina with the Military Police and Garrison on our tail,"

She looked over Reiner's shoulder, staring at Bertholdt's dilapidated body, "I never went back to the capital. I wanted to stay here with Ymir."

"How's Ymir doing?" Reiner finally said, not looking away from Bertholdt but talking to Krista, "She's a hero now, right? Since they made the cure off of her,"

Krista smiled shyly, "Yeah. She doesn't like the spotlight very much though,"

"Same old Ymir. If you ever need to get away from her, you know where to go," Reiner replied with a short chuckle. From across the room, Reiner could feel Annie glaring straight at him. All that talk before about Bertholdt's true feelings was all for nothing as Reiner felt himself slipping back into his soldier persona. He shook his head quickly, trying to rid himself of the honour and happiness that slowly crept up on him.

Krista caught it quickly, his remark was more uncomfortable than it was funny. She stayed quiet, eyes searching the room while Reiner recomposed himself, "So, Krista," Reiner said after clearing his throat, "What brings you around here? Why's this village abandoned?"

"It isn't abandoned," She replied, trying to fill the tense air with small talk, "The entire village volunteered to assist the Wall Rose Sickbay. One of the doctors that accompanied me here lives in this village. He came to pick up some supplies," It was pure luck that Krista had found them. Annie relaxed at her words. She feared that this might've been a trap.

"I see. Sorry about the mess,"

They were all interrupted when Bertholdt began mumbling in his sleep. Despite the bandages restricting his movement, he was twitching hard and kicking weakly in his sleep, "Reiner..." He whispered, groaning a bit in pain, "Reiner, _Reiner_ , save me," His eyes snapped open suddenly, "Reiner!" His hands immediately fell upon his bandages, clawing them out along with his skin.

"Stop!" Reiner shouted, grabbing Bertholdt's wrists and pinning them to either side of his head. Bertholdt wailed, struggling with all his strength and agitating his wounds. Annie immediately ran over, grabbing onto his legs and holding them down, nearly getting kicked in the face in the process. Krista ran out as fast as she could, calling for the doctors.

In the end, there was little else the doctors could do about Bertholdt's wounds. He was suffering from an extreme case of trauma and there was nothing they could do about his psychological state.

"What can we do?" Reiner asked. Bertholdt didn't have enough energy to struggle. Instead, he lay there motionlessly as tears dripped down his face. Despite the lack of struggle, Reiner couldn't find himself letting go of Bertholdt's frail arms.

The elder doctor shrugged, "We aren't psychologists. We can treat his wounds but we can't fix his mind. At most, we can tie him down so he can't hurt himself when no one's around,"

Reiner hated the suggestion, despised it. Bertholdt had been restrained against his will long enough. He was ready to reject the suggestion till Annie spoke up, "As long as someone's around, we won't have to, right?" She said, pulling up a chair next to Bertholdt's bed, "I'll keep watch over him then," She spoke to Reiner with just her eyes: _You need a break_.

Reiner nodded to Annie, moving to the door before he was stopped by Krista.

"I need to speak with you," Krista said, patting Reiner lightly on the shoulder as she spoke.

Krista and Reiner were the only ones to leave the room. Annie stayed behind to watch Bertholdt while the three doctors prepped their tools in case they needed to do an emergency operation. With Bertholdt's unstable condition, anything could happen and they had to be prepared.

The sun had nearly completely set. Reiner hadn't taken notice of the time since Krista found them. Reiner took a seat by the stone steps, patting on the stone next to him with a smile. Krista smiled back but refused to sit, staring at him fervently.

"Falling in love again?" Reiner joked.

A small smile again, but no laughter or compassion, "Reiner. Turn yourself in,"

"... _what?_ "

"Please don't put up a fight," Krista said, staring at him with a coldness that he'd never seen in her eyes before, "You should turn yourself in. It's the right thing to do."

Reiner couldn't comprehend what was happening. Krista, pure and forgiving, was staring down at him with utter resentment. He didn't stand, too stunned by her words. After seeing the state Bertholdt was reduced to, Reiner couldn't understand how she could think that this was _right_ , "What the hell are you talking about?" Reiner growled.

"Justice," She replied, "For everyone you've hurt and killed,"

"You call this justice?" Reiner shouted, standing up to tower over her, "You saw what they did to Bertholdt. You might not have been their first-hand when it happened but even you can imagine what they did to him."

"I'm not asking you to turn yourself into the Capital," Krista replied, staring at him without wavering, "I'm asking you to turn yourself into the Survey Corps. They aren't corrupt, not like the Military Police," She cast her eyes downward, ashamed on behalf of the Military Police's state, "They'll execute you as a soldier, not a titan."

Reiner was shaking his head, backing away. Despite knowing exactly of his crimes, he still had trouble believing that this was Krista, "No way, no way," He muttered under his breath, "I can't believe this is happening," He turned away from her, stumbling away aimlessly as he tried to figure out a plan. If he really had to, he could kill Krista and the three doctors who followed her along. The real question was whether he'd have the heart to do it. He peered over his shoulder, looking at her with the eyes of a warrior, "And if I say no?"

"Reiner, I don't want to fight you," Krista replied, pleading, "If you turn yourself in, you can be a soldier again, not just an enemy to humanity,"

Reiner didn't turn, glowering forward, "I'm not a soldier and I never will be ever again. I'm not submitting myself to the humans. And if you fight me, I will take you down just like the rest. Annie, Bertholdt, and I are getting out of here with or without your help," He turned, ready to glare at her only to be faced with a blade pointed at his neck.

"I didn't want it to come to this," Krista said, still pointing the blade at him. She watched as Reiner slipped a hunting knife out from his coat, firmly gripping it as his gaze darkened. It was fair game for either of them right now. Reiner might have outranked Krista as a soldier but Krista was the one who was armed for battle.

Reiner lifted the knife up into a standard combat position, "I will do anything to protect Bertholdt," _Even kill you_.

Surprising Reiner, Krista lowered her blade, dropping her arm to her side. She stepped back as Reiner too lowered his knife, "I'm going to force your hand," Krista said, eyes averted as if she were ashamed with herself, "Turn yourself in or Bertholdt will die," Her eyes fell upon him the moment she said Bertholdt's name, sending a terrifying chill down Reiner's spine.

Reiner didn't understand. With himself and Annie, even if the doctors knew how to fight, there's no way they'd stand a chance against them, "You don't know what you're talking about,"

"Do you really think there are any other doctors out there who'll look after him?" Krista asked, "There's only one outcome if you fight back. Regardless of whether you kill me or not, those doctors won't help you and Bertholdt will die."

She spoke the truth. Just this afternoon, Bertholdt had nearly slipped away. If it wasn't for an amazing stroke of luck, Annie and Reiner would have been burying his remains right now. He scoffed, laughing dryly at himself, "So either I die like a soldier or Bertholdt dies like a dog. And what about him  and Annie? Are you going to execute them too?"

"I know it's cruel but this is the best outcome I can offer for you,"

Reiner laughed again, utterly puzzled by this turn of events, "I never thought that you of all people would be blackmailing me,"

The sadness Krista tried to hide bled through her cool composure, "I don't enjoy doing this. More than anything, I wish we could be merciful to everyone," She looked at Reiner, her beautiful eyes staring straight through him, "But if you live on then everyone's who suffered because of the titans will continue to suffer. I'm begging you, just turn yourself in,"

"No," There was nothing else left to say. Reiner merely lifted his knife, watching with intense concentration as Krista lifted her sword. Humans weren't going to decide his fate, never again.

The first strike was no surprise. Krista was faster and had a longer reach so she easily landed the first blow, slicing him clear across the abdomen. It wasn't a killing cut, not by a long shot and especially with Reiner's regeneration factor. Krista didn't want to kill him. She still gave him the choice to forfeit.

Reiner on the other hand always went with a killing strike. His weapon was smaller which meant it was easier to maneuver. He dove at her, using his size to intimidate her as he attacked. She only barely dodged him every time, occasionally having the blade slice through her clothes but not her skin. What Reiner lacked in speed and reach, he made up with strength and ferocity.

Reiner swung his knife down at her head only for her to dodge it just barely with a quick slide to the left. Krista stabbed at his shoulder only to be parried by a powerful blow from Reiner's knife. Given their contrasting advantages, it was obvious that there was no clear winner. Instead, Reiner made a risky gamble. When Krista stabbed at him again, aimed at a non-vital spot, Reiner dropped his guard and took the strike. He cried out in pain at his entire body clenched at the crippling intrusion. The look on Krista's eyes was a mixture of horror and achievement. Before she could withdraw, Reiner grabbed the hand that was sitting on the hilt of the blade, holding her in place with all his strength as he stabbed at her with his hunting knife.

With nowhere to go, Krista could only twist her body taking the knife into her shoulder instead of her chest. She screamed out, tumbling back and falling against the house when Reiner released her hand. Reiner instead fell to the ground where he was struck down, panting heavily as he took the hilt of her sword into his hand. With a fierce roar, Reiner tore the blade out from inside him. Krista, yanking out the knife from her crippled main arm, watched as Reiner's flesh slowly knit itself back together.

Reiner let out a cruel but sad smile, "I'm not a soldier. I'm not even _human_ ," He stood, picking up Krista's sword along with him. With her main arm crippled and only the hunting knife as her weapon, Krista stood no chance, "I'm sorry it had to end this way,"

Krista stared up at him, not pleading for her life or filled with sadness, but filled with regret that she could not convince Reiner to take the honourable end.

"Why?" Krista asked, "Bertholdt will die without peace or respect. Why would you choose this if loved him?"

 _Love_. Even Krista whom he fancied for so long understood Bertholdt's true feelings for Reiner. Perhaps this was why she always kept Reiner at a distance, refusing to indulge in his romantic feelings for her. Reiner swallowed before he spoke, "I can't let Bertholdt die with his last memories being nothing but torture, humiliation, and _pain_. What you offer, there's no hope in that choice."

Reiner knew something was wrong when Krista's eyes suddenly widened. She was suddenly terrified, leaping forward and reaching to Reiner despite her wound. Reiner hesitated at that very moment, thinking that Krista's resolve had finally crumbled and she was making a desperate move for her life.

"Stop!" She cried out as Ymir stabbed Reiner from behind with her sword. Her blade ended up skewering the same spot Krista had stabbed, the tender flesh still trying to knit itself together. Krista had inadvertently made a weak spot on his body.

Reiner cried out in pain but before he could collapse, Ymir pulled out her sword, grabbed him by the back of his collar and threw him away from Krista, "Historia, are you alright?" Ymir asked, running to her side.

"I-I'm fine," Krista said, holding her arm as Ymir helped her up. She watched soldiers crowd around Reiner, pinning him the ground and overpowering him with sheer number. Reiner fought under their grasp, snarling like a beast. Unease took over Krista when she noticed the emblem emblazoned on the brigade that pinned Reiner down: The Military Police, "What are you doing here?" She asked Ymir.

"You were taking too long so I went looking for you," Ymir replied, wiping off her blade before placing it back into her sheath, "I ran into this brigade that had been hunting for the escapees. The idiots got lost so I told them to follow me,"

Krista could not turn away from the military police brigade that held Reiner down. It was unnerving to know that under the fine uniforms and courteous salutes were _demons_ that would happily torture a man to death, "What are they going to do with him?" Krista asked shakily.

Ymir shrugged, "Who knows. Same thing they did to Bertl, I guess,"

Immediately, Krista felt sick to her stomach.

"Annie and Bertholdt are inside, right?" Ymir asked Krista. The blonde did not reply, just staring blankly at the Military Police as they cuffed Reiner's hands behind his back. She just didn't have the heart to subject Reiner to the same fate as Bertholdt, "Krista? Are you okay?"

She shook herself out of her thought, "I...um, yeah. They're inside," She blurted out quickly.

"Annie!" Reiner cried out from where he was, pinned to the dirt by several soldiers, "Run! Get out of here with Bertholdt!" Who was he kidding? In Bertholdt's state, there's no way Annie would have been able to get him out alive, "Bertholdt!" He cried out as Ymir kicked the door down, rifle loaded and ready as she stormed in with a couple soldiers.

Krista could only watch, silent and mortified. If she didn't do something, she would end up condemning both Annie and Bertholdt to hell. Clutching to her arm, she ran past Reiner and into the house, "Ymir, wait!" She cried out, running into the bedroom filled with no one but Ymir and the soldiers that followed her in.

Moments of silence later, Ymir lifted a slip of paper she had found on the bed, "They're at the Wall Rose Sickbay,"

 

"We have to bring him to the sickbay," The young female doctor whispered to the elderly doctor, "He's not going to make it with just what we have," Despite her attempt to be quiet, Annie caught her words immediately and whipped her gaze towards the doctors.

"What are you talking about?" Annie asked.

The young female doctor looked to her companions desperately, hoping to have one of them explain it so she wouldn't be taking the brunt of Annie's glare, "Well, you see, we may have patched up his exterior wounds but he's definitely got internal injuries, lacerations under the skin, broken bones. His fever also isn't going down and he's showing signs of heavy infection. We just don't have the supplies to help him here,"

"Then why not go to the Wall Rose Sickbay? There are plenty of supplies there," Annie replied.

Somehow, she already knew their response.

"You know exactly why we can't go to the sickbay," The elderly doctor replied.

Annie could have laughed. She had an inkling right from the start but chose to stay quiet for Reiner's sake, "When did you find out?"

"Since the beginning. They made sure every doctor in the sick bay knew your faces so you couldn't sneak in during the chaos," The middle-aged doctor said, "We chose not to say anything after we saw Bertholdt's condition. No one, human or titan, deserves something like this."

These three doctors lived safely in Wall Rose far from war and titans. There was no way they could understand the horror these three had brought upon humanity and the vengeful rage the humans had garnered from them. For once in Annie's life, she was glad for that. "Thank you," Annie whispered, eyes falling back onto Bertholdt who slept restlessly on the bed.

The younger doctor came to Annie's side, replacing the towel on Bertholdt's forehead with a fresh, cold one, "Unless we go to the sickbay, there's nothing we can do."

"And since everyone knows your faces, we wouldn't even be able to hide you," The elderly doctor added.

The feeling of being backed into a corner was not unfamiliar to Annie. She still remembered the day they had captured her in Wall Sina. She remembered the hopelessness of it all, the humiliation of climbing up the wall in a desperate attempt to escape, the sharp distress as Mikasa cut her down and robbed her of freedom. At that moment, there was nothing Annie could've done other than put herself to sleep, robbing everyone, including herself, of victory. Despite how apathetic she acted when she awoken, Annie had never felt a greater fear in her entire life.

Right now, with Bertholdt's life, the hopelessness was beginning to creep up on her once more. She had no time to cry, not this time. Unlike that day in Wall Sina, now Annie had plenty of time. She ran through as many scenarios as she could. There must've been a way to save Bertholdt and at least protect Reiner. What could she offer to the humans that would have them spare Bertholdt? Or rather, what was she willing to give up?

It was a slim chance and it might've amounted to nothing in the end but Annie had to take it. She stood from her chair and looked upon the three doctors with absolute conviction, "You've seen Bertholdt's condition up close, you know what he's suffered through. Would you agree that this punishment for him has been enough?" The doctors took a moment to think before nodding in unison, "Then, with this reason, can we convince the Survey Corps to let him live? And if that isn't enough," She placed a hand upon her chest, "I offer myself, a titan shifter, as a test subject."

There was little to say. Annie knew the doctors would agree but she knew that convincing the Survey Corps was a whole different task.

"We accept your offer," The middle-aged doctor replied, "But you have to realize that this is not in our power to decide. It'll all come down to what the Survey Corps wants."

It was a stupid, risky, dangerous move that could wind up getting all three of them killed. If Annie was on her own, there was no doubt that she could have survived and escaped from the walled city. Coupled with Reiner, the two would be unstoppable even against some of the best soldiers. It was Bertholdt that held them back. Annie couldn't deny that she had considered ending Bertholdt's life, reasoning with herself that it was a mercy kill. With her hunting knife in hand, Annie had stood over Bertholdt's sleeping form while Reiner was out hunting. Every time she lifted her hand, every time she truly considered cutting off her dead weight, she threw the knife across the room and cursed at herself.

There was no way in hell Annie could lose someone else.

"Let's go," She said, not bothering to bring her 3DM gear since it would just get confiscated, "Which way is the Sickbay?"

"South of here, it'll take at least three hours on foot," The middle-aged doctor said as the young doctor carefully wrapped Bertholdt up in a blanket and picked him up onto her back while the elderly doctor packed up their tools, "Shall we take the horses? We left them at the stable in the village,"

Catching the barely audible sound of Krista and Reiner arguing, Annie declined, "No, follow me through the backdoor," She opened the door open quietly, carefully helping each doctor out.

"What about your friend?" The elderly doctor asked. He didn't mention Krista. Everyone in the room was not sure of Krista's intention and choose to put it aside.

"He'll catch up," Annie replied, walking the doctors a good distance away from the village. She peered back one last time. This may have been the very last time Reiner would see Bertholdt and her. Annie knew she couldn't bring him along if she wanted him to live. Annie could bargain with her titan form. Bertholdt could win their pity with his current state. Reiner had nothing.

"Are we seriously walking there?" The younger doctor said, already tired from carrying Bertholdt on her back.

When they were far enough away, Annie slipped the hunting knife out of her jacket, holding it against her palm for a moment before the elderly doctor stopped her, "What are you doing?"

"Just trust me, alright? I'll get us there," Annie replied dryly as she cut open her hand.

 

"Hey, wake up! You're going to fall off," Ymir shouted, given Reiner a swift kick to the stomach when he began leaning over the side of his horse out of exhaustion. She chuckled as Reiner glared back at her, propping himself back up with his bound hands.

Had Ymir or Krista not been here, the Military Police would have gleefully taken Reiner back to the capital to face punishment. Instead, Krista pleaded with Ymir to take Reiner with them. Unable to turn her angel down, Ymir used her authority as the source of mankind's survival to take Reiner with them. Grudgingly, after bandaging up Krista, the Military Police brigade were forced to follow after them as they made their way to the sickbay.

"I don't get why you want to bring him with us. If it was up to me, I'd want his ass on a stick!" Ymir remarked, exchanging hateful glares at Reiner every so often, "Historia? You've been very quiet. What's up?"

Krista's gaze was unfocused as she looked to Reiner and the Military Police Soldiers that followed after them. All she could see was Bertholdt writhing in pain on the wool-covered table, blood flowing from _every_ single orifice on his body. It was barely a whisper, a sound that could have been mistaken for wind whistling in the leaves but Krista caught it. A voice mumbling to his partner in the Military Police soldiers, "Hey, this one's not as pretty as the other one,"

Krista nearly fell off her horse, covering her mouth and fighting the wave of nausea that took over, "Historia!" Ymir shouted, reaching across her horse to prop Krista back up, "Are you not feeling well?"

"Leave!" Krista shouted, startling Ymir till she realized that it wasn't directed at her. She was yelling at the brigade of soldiers that followed them, "Go back to capital, you monsters!"

Everyone was stunned, Ymir and Reiner included, by the powerful, frightening voice that came from such a small, frail girl. However, once that shock wore off, the Military Police soldiers weren't as cooperative as Krista hoped they'd be.

"We're the Military Police. You don't order _us_ around," The leader of the brigade barked back, "Titan loving whore,"

And Ymir was not going to take _any_ of that. Without her feet even touching the ground, Ymir leapt at them and kicked the leader hard enough to send him flying off his horse and into the dirt. His comrades, looking cocky before when they were chewing out Krista, immediately backed away in fear, "You want some too?" Ymir hissed, glaring at the brigade as they backed off, "You heard the beauty, get the hell out of here!" With cowardly cries and hasty insults, the brigade quickly fled leaving Ymir, Krista, and Reiner alone.

"Krista..." Reiner whispered, watching her sudden anger subside.

"Man, I hate those cowards," Ymir remarked as she climbed back onto her horse. She took the reins on Reiner's horse, signalling it to take a strolling pace alongside her. Ymir waited till Krista's composure had returned before she said, "Tell me the truth. What happened? And if you won't tell me, I'll ask Reiner,"

This was Reiner's story to tell. Krista looked to Reiner, waiting for him to speak. She had no right to speak of Bertholdt when Reiner was the one who truly understood what happened to him, "Reiner?" She prompted.

"Bertholdt's sentence was torture without limits," Reiner said, "Each faction would be given custody over him every day. The Garrison put him on public display, letting the people maim him without rest. The Military Police," Reiner choked over the words but spat them out regardless, "They put him to work as a comfort slave but given the nature of his injuries, it wasn't just typical sex that they wanted."

"And the Survey Corps?" Ymir asked.

"I don't know what they did but they made him scream so loud that the entire forest echoed with his voice," Reiner replied, "They didn't feed him, barely let him rest. They were planning on wearing him down until he was nothing,"

Ymir scoffed, "And that's all?"

"What?" Reiner growled, whipping his head to face Ymir, "What do you mean by 'that's all'?"

"Ymir, you don't understand," Krista cried, reaching for and gripping onto Ymir's sleeve, "You didn't see what they did to him, "You didn't see him. The injuries on his body were worse than anything any titan could have done," Ymir could see that this was what hurt Krista most. Humans could be just as vile and terrifying as a titan.

Regardless, Ymir's resolve was not so easily swayed, "Who do you think you really are, Reiner?" Ymir asked, glaring at him, "You're not just the 'armored titan', just as Bertholdt isn't just the 'colossal titan'. You represent every single titan in history that has feasted upon the humans. This punishment isn't just for your sins; it's for the sins of every single atrocity committed by the titans. Could you really expect anything less for that?" Reiner and Krista didn't know what to say. Ymir turned back forward, facing away from both of them, "Yes, it's cruel. Yes, it's inhumane. Yes, it's worst than anything a single titan could have done but that's the point. That's the only way all those who have suffered in the past centuries can finally have justice."

Reiner had no right to respond. That was why he stayed silent. It was Krista who spoke up against Ymir's reasoning, "But, subjecting Bertholdt to that sort of fate, torturing him won't undo everything, won't accomplish anything a proper execution couldn't do. What they're doing isn't serving justice. They're just using him as a scapegoat to please themselves!" She shut her eyes, fighting against tears of anguish, "No one deserves to suffer like that,"

 Ymir smiled pleasantly at her words, wrapping an arm around Krista's shoulder and pulling them close till their heads touched, "Oh Historia, such a big heart in a tiny, tiny body," She released her shortly after, turning back to the path with a small smile, "Even if I can't say that I completely agree with you, I also can't say that all of this doesn't rub me the wrong way," She peered over to Reiner who had remained silent this entire time, "I'll trust your judgement, Historia, and more importantly, I'll protect you should something happen."

"Don't glare at me so hard," Reiner replied to Ymir, lifting his bound wrists in supplication, "I won't hurt either of you... as long as Bertholdt is safe,"

Ymir bellowed with laughter, shattering the tension that built up between the three, "I knew you were a queer. Right from the start!"

Krista looked to Reiner. She wasn't smiling but she looked pleased, "I'm glad you've finally noticed."

"Noticed what?"

The slightest of blushes appeared on Krista's face. Ymir was already mouthing the words 'so cute' at Krista, "His affection for you. How he'd always hang around you, be at your side when you needed help. He cared for you more than anything," Reiner's suspicions were confirmed. Krista truly ignored his advances out of consideration of Bertholdt's feelings.

"How many people knew?" Reiner asked.

Ymir scoffed, sputtering with laughter, " _Everyone_ knew, except you,"

 

It was nothing less than a riot when Annie arrived in the sickbay with the three doctors and Bertholdt. Those who knew who she was were freaking out, immediately drawing their pistols and firing into the dirt, air, sky, and everywhere that wasn't Annie. She had to admit, if the situation was less dire, this might have actually been amusing. It took Hanji to step out from her work under a tent to calm everyone down.

"Annie Leonhardt," Hanji greeted, "It has been a while since I've seen you. If you're here to cause trouble, know that this is an entirely different situation we are fighting in now,"

Annie watched her with both contempt and respect. It was by her hand that they fell. She knew that this day would come when she would produce a cure to end the titan's reign. That was why she killed Sawney and Bean so long ago, "No. I'm here to bargain,"

"Doctor Zoe," The middle aged doctor called out as they carried Bertholdt close, "He needs medical attention right away,"

Hanji watched the doctor lay Bertholdt onto a stretcher. Blood was already seeping through the wool they had wrapped him in. With his face so emaciated, it truly took Hanji a moment before she realized who it was, "Bertholdt Hoover?" Her surprised reaction was not because she hadn't expected Bertholdt to be brought to her but more so that she didn't recognize him right away.

"Please save him," Annie said, falling down to one knee as she bowed, "And in exchange, I offer myself up to the Survey Corps,"

Without Irvin, Levi, or Eren to sway her, Annie figured that Hanji would let her live for the sake of research. Eren might have been a titan shifter but Annie had plenty more secrets to her than he and Ymir. With Reiner and Bertholdt already shot down, Annie was her last chance to obtain data on the specialized titan shifters. This was her gamble and it finally paid off.

"Take him to the emergency surgery tent. Get every available senior doctor on him now!" Hanji declared, slipping on her goggles, "Get the experimental serums. We may need those as well," She looked to Annie, "And you, come with me. We'll talk after we are done with Bertholdt,"

Annie rose from where she knelt. This was the second time she had bowed to a human for their service. It made her feel just a bit disgusted in herself for falling so far. For now, at least, she'd endure it for Bertholdt's sake. She followed after Hanji, eyes locked onto the Survey Corps emblem upon her back.

The operation was not easy. The three doctors had only stabilized him while his body continued to wreck itself from the inside. Annie sat in a room connected to the surgical tent flanked by two Survey Corps soldiers. Even they seemed a bit disturbed by the screaming and struggling in the next room.

"He's having an allergic reaction to serum C," Annie heard someone say from the other side.

"Damn, use the antidote to dilute it. We need to get his healing factor up or he won't stand a chance,"

"Doctor Zoe, there appears to be some sort of poison in his body that's affecting our serums,"

 _Poison?_ Annie was beginning to wonder just what exactly did they do to Bertholdt.

It was a while before the screaming died down. Annie figured they must have succeeded in stabilizing Bertholdt or at least, put him to sleep. As the doctors emptied out, Hanji entered the separate compartment tossing off her bloodied white coat into a corner, "We've got an experimental serum inside your friend. As long as we can get his healing factor back up, he should be able to recover."

Annie nodded, "Much obliged,"

"He's also quite a valuable specimen. We've never had the chance to test our regenerative booster serums since all of our subject so far do not have such intense injuries," Hanji explained, sitting down in front of Annie and leaning on the desk, "Anyway, we have more important things to talk about. Don't we?" Annie nodded again, "As the highest ranked soldier in the Wall Rose Sickbay, I have the right to keep you in my custody. However, should Irvin or Levi return, I'm afraid your life will fall into their hands."

"I understand these conditions," Annie replied.

Hanji was puzzled by Annie's submission, "You understand what that really means, right? If they choose to execute Bertholdt, then this deal will be for naught. Why take the deal then?"

"Because we lost. The titans have fallen," Annie replied, eyes casting downwards as she spoke, "Bertholdt and Reiner are all I have left. They're my family now. Is there anything you would not do for your family?"

"Then what's stopping you from fleeing with Bertholdt the moment he is recovered? How can I be sure that you will not be a liability?"

In all the times Annie had ever seen Hanji, the odd woman always appeared to be eccentric and at worst, almost goofy. However, when the chips were down, Hanji could take on a persona more terrifying than Levi, "You're the ones holding all the cards now, aren't you? You could do whatever you want to Bertholdt, inject him with a drug that will make him dependant on you, amputate his limbs to prevent him from leaving. All I can do right now is pray that he won't suffer anymore if I offer up myself,"

"We would never do something like that."

"Don't _fucking_ lie to me," Annie hissed, expression immediately darkening.

Hanji understood her anger. There were few soldiers who still held their morals after the titans attacked, "We are not the Military Police. We won't resort to dirty means to get what we want,"

"If that is true, then I'm in your debt," Annie folded her arms and crossed her legs, eyes as cold as ever, "And besides, even if I were to try, with the amount of soldiers and anti-titan weapons, there'd be no way for me to escape."

"I can't say what will happen when Irvin and Levi return from the Wall Maria expedition. We lost a lot of good soldiers because of you. But for now, I welcome you to the Survey Corps as a new test subject. Let's do our best, alright?" She offered a handshake to Annie. Without a single feeing of reluctance, Annie shook her hand.

 

_"You two should just get married already,"_

_"I'll break down the wall. I'll endure the nightmares so Reiner can keep his humanity,"_

"He's having an allergic reaction to serum C,"

_"We will return to our hometown without fail!"_

_"Warrior? What are you talking about?"_

_"The truth is, Krista was always especially nice to me,"_

_"You can call out whoever you want but no one will come,"_

"I think he's stable. Keep him on this drip,"

_"Reiner will save me,"_

_"Reiner will save me,"_

_"Reiner,"_

"Reiner," Bertholdt whispered as he opened his eyes. The air was cool and clear now, unlike the humid, sour air of his cell and the dusty, earthy air of the house. He turned his head back and forth, noticing not only the clean tent he rested in but also the lessened pain throughout his body. He reached for his neck, noticing a high quality gauze tightly bound around it.

"... need about the titans. What we want to know is your crystallization ability,"

Bertholdt turned to the source of the voice. It was a woman for sure with a deep voice and casual tone. It came from behind the tent flap where a source of light could be seen at the edges of the flap. When Bertholdt tried to sit up, he noticed that his arm was restrained to the bed with several tubes dripping fluid inside of it. Absently, he reached for one tube, pulling on it just a bit.

"Oh, he's awake!" Hanji said, opening the flap while carrying the lantern with her, "Bertholdt Hoover, yes?" All Bertholdt could do was stare dumbly at her, occasionally trying to look past her to see if she was talking to anyone he knew, "Do you know where you are right now?"

Bertholdt bit his lip nervously before answering with a shake of his head, "No,"

"That's actually a bit of an improvement. Your friend said that you've been catatonic this whole time. The regenerative serum is working wonders. Anyway, you're at the Wall Rose Sickbay. Don't worry though, you'll be safe here. We've negotiated your safety with your friend," The pat on the head she gave Bertholdt was oddly comforting to him.

"Reiner?" Bertholdt asked, trying to peer over Hanji's shoulder to see who it was. He was surprised when it was Annie who stepped into the tent instead, "Annie," He murmured.

"I'll leave you two alone to catch up," Hanji said with a smile, "I'll be back for an hourly supplement in a bit," With a small wave, Hanji exited the tent. Both Bertholdt and Annie sighed with relief. With all the corrupt officials and soldiers Bertholdt had to deal with, it was refreshing to finally meet a reasonable, though slightly eccentric, figure in this hellhole.

Bertholdt couldn't keep his eyes locked on Annie. He looked away as he always did when he felt intimidated. This was the first time they had spoken in a year. When he first learned that she was captured, he swore to himself that when she awoke, they would have won the war. He dreamed of the day he'd parade into the city, rescue Annie, and celebrate their victory. What could he say now? He failed. They lost.

"I'm sorry," He whispered.

"Don't," Annie cut him off, "I've gotten enough of that from Reiner. I get it already,"

Bertholdt looked away again, "Oh,"

She sat upon the edge of the bed, forcing Bertholdt to shift his legs to the side, "It isn't your fault. It's not Reiner's fault either. A multitude of things happened that caused us to fail. At most, we can only blame Reiner and I for failing to become warriors,"

"You _are_ a warrior," Bertholdt replied.

"You don't know what happened," She said, looking to him, "You don't know how badly I failed. Reiner and I, we both became soldiers without being aware of it," She chuckled dryly to herself, "You were the only one who remained a warrior. You held out the best out of all of us,"

If Bertholdt could, he would've pulled his knees to his chest and huddled close to himself. It was an old habit he'd do whenever he felt like the world was crumbling around him. He could never shake the habit even when he was way too old for it, "Thank you," Was all he could reply with.

In the silence that followed after, Bertholdt kept his eyes on Annie who remained completely still where she sat. He couldn't help but notice an air of grief that he'd never felt from her before. Despite her seeming apathy for their failure, Bertholdt knew it hurt her a lot more than she let on, "Annie?"

"Yeah?" Annie replied, turning to him when she noticed him trying to sit up, "Stop that. You're still hurt," She froze when she watched Bertholdt stretch his arms towards her.

"May I?" He asked, prompting her for a hug.

Annie immediately turned away from him, "No," She snapped, folding her arms in disapproval.

There was a very audible growl from Annie when Bertholdt hugged her anyway, pressing his face into her shoulder as he tightened his hold on her. Despite her disapproval, Bertholdt needed this, needed to know that Annie was here and deep down, he knew Annie needed this too. He didn't react when Annie turned around and hugged him back, merely shutting his eyes and tightening his hold. For just a moment, Bertholdt swore he felt tears against his shoulder but chose to ignore it.

When they finally let go, Annie's face was back to its usual cold apathy. Bertholdt laid back down on the bed, staring up at the tent ceiling, "Where's Reiner?"

"I left him behind. Hopefully if he's smart, he'll stay away from here,"

"So, I guess we're going to see him soon, aren't we?"

"Ha!" Annie let out a quick laugh, smiling and genuinely happy for just a moment, "About right,"

The two sat in silence once again but this time, instead of being quieted by tension, the two were merely finding peace in each other's presence. The two stewed in their own thoughts so when Annie finally turned to Bertholdt, he knew exactly what she wanted to talk about, "We're probably going to die here. I'm sorry that you had to wake up only to face your doom,"

"That's alright. I'm glad we made it this far," Bertholdt replied. After all the struggle, he was finally reunited with Annie. If he could just see Reiner one last time, Bertholdt truly didn't mind if his life was ended right now. It would be a much better death than what the capital had planned for him.

The two were interrupted by shouting outside, "Krista and Ymir have returned!"

"Oh, Krista's here," Bertholdt muttered absently.

Annie, on the other hand, was stunned by the declaration. _Krista...? Then, did Reiner lose?_ She stood up, turning around to fix Bertholdt's blanket, "You should rest. I'll go check on the commotion."

"Right, goodnight Annie," Bertholdt said, shutting his eyes as Annie turned off the lantern.

After she closed the tent flap, Annie rushed immediately to the crowd of soldiers who came to greet Krista.

"Krista!" Annie shouted as she pushed past everyone. Instead, she found herself face-to-face with Reiner, " _Reiner_ ," She hissed.

"Nice to see you too," Reiner replied with a half smile.

"When someone is on the run, the ideal place to go wouldn't be the enemy base that contains their strongest soldiers," Ymir commented as she approached the two, "You two are real pieces of work," She turned away briefly to wave Krista goodnight as the smaller girl entered her tent.

Annie scoffed at the blatant truth behind her words, "There was no choice. Bertholdt needed the medical assistance."

 _Bertholdt_. Reiner's eyes flashed at his name. He pulled away from Ymir, stepping forward into the camp, "Bertholdt, where's Bertholdt?"

Both Annie and Ymir grabbed him and pulled him back, "Stop that," Annie said, "He needs to rest."

With a sudden burst of strength, he pulled away from both of them and ran towards the tents. Ymir sighed, giving Annie an annoyed shrug, "Slippery bastard, even with his hands tied," The two ladies ran after him. They followed closely after him, not exactly sure how he knew which tent Bertholdt was resting in.

Reiner found him, out of sheer luck, titan-enhanced intuition, or affectionate bond, whatever the case, Reiner found him laying in bed asleep while Hanji towered over him with a tray of shots in hand, "Get the hell away from him!" Reiner barked, rushing forward and tackling the woman down. Bertholdt had only just escaped from hell. There was no way he'd let anyone experiment on him ever again, "What are you doing to him?"

"Hourly supplements!" Hanji replied, rubbing her head, "Ow, ow, that really hurt,"

"Idiot!" Annie shouted as she ran in and pulled him back, "She's taking care of him."

Contrasting Annie's silent rage, Ymir came in bursting with laughter, "Man, you're stupid! Hanji's got the cleanest record in the entire army! Well, next to my Historia, of course," She offered a hand to Hanji, pulling her up as the scientist fixed her glasses.

"You still pack quite a punch for a human," Hanji commented, brushing off her clothes, "If we're going to keep up his regenerative factor, he's going to need supplement shots," She gestured to the tray on the stand, "You can ask me next time, you know. I'm not going to bite,"

Embarrassed at how well Hanji was treating him, Reiner's face reddened from awkwardness, "Sorry," He could hear Annie scoffing in the back and Ymir suppressing her laughter.

"You should all head to sleep now," Hanji said, nodding to Ymir and Annie in the back, "It's been a long day."

"I want to speak with Bertholdt," Reiner replied, refusing to move from his spot.

"Come on Casanova, let's go," Ymir said, grabbing the back of Reiner's shirt and dragging him out.

Reiner fought back against the grip, "Please! Let me talk to him."

"He needs to rest or else the medicine won't work," Hanji replied, preparing another shot, "He'll be here tomorrow. Talk to him then."

In the end, it was Annie who dragged him out while Ymir left to find Krista. Outside, Moblit informed them that a tent had been set up for both of them to rest in for the night. No guards were stationed for either of them; they were undermanned in the Wall Rose Sickbay and needed every soldier on duty. Hanji knew they wouldn't go anywhere if Bertholdt was still being treated.

Once Annie shut the tent flap behind them, leaving the two of them alone, Reiner spoke, "What the hell, Annie?" His wrists were bound unlike Annie who was completely free, "Why did you bring him here?"

"He was going to die if we didn't," She replied, "You saw his condition. You know he needed more treatment,"

"Whatever you offered to Hanji won't last. They're going to kill him as soon as Irvin returns," Reiner replied, "You've sentenced him to death after all the work we put into saving him. All of that was for nothing!" His tone was accusing and harsh. It only made Annie's scowl darken even more.

After everything she'd been forced to go through these past few days, waking to learn of their failure, nearly losing one of her closest friends, submitting to humans due to her own helplessness, there was really only so much Annie could take. Reiner's pigheaded denial was the final straw. Without even getting into her battle stance, she lifted her leg and kicked Reiner over the head sending him rolling into the dirt. Even now, standing alone, Annie could still feel Bertholdt's embrace around her, could still feel his gratitude for saving him despite the inevitable execution. If anything, it only made her feel angrier when compared to Reiner's selfishness.

"What was that for?" Reiner hissed as he pushed himself up, "If my hands were free-"

"Idiot," Annie hissed, kicking him in the stomach, "Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!" She shouted as she continued to kick him, "Don't you think I know that? Don't you think I want to get out of here too? This was the only thing I could do. There wasn't any other choice!" She grabbed his collar when he turned away, forcing him to look at her chilling eyes, "You're always so damn selfish, thinking you could have everything without sacrifice," All that helplessness, fear, sadness, and rage came pouring out of Annie as she took it all out on Reiner.

"Of course not!" Reiner replied only to be kicked in the stomach again.

"That's why you split up being a soldier and a warrior, right?" Unlike Annie who knew she could only be one, Reiner convinced himself that he could be both, "Because that way, you could be a hero for the people _and_ a hero for our kind. That way, you could have Krista _and_ Bertholdt," She didn't mean that last one. She just wanted to make him hurt and Bertholdt's affection would always be a sensitive subject for him.

"Shut up," Reiner growled.

She remembered the words she spoke to Bertholdt, telling him that it wasn't anyone's specific fault. Their reason for failure was weaved together by reasons beyond their control. This was what she believed. What she said to Reiner was what she _wanted_ , "Our failure will always be _your_ fault," She stormed out of the tent, finding somewhere else to sleep.

Picking himself off the ground, Reiner plopped himself onto the bed. He let himself stew in anger till the heated moment subsided. With his mind clear, Reiner knew it was wrong to blame Annie for everything that had happened. He thought back to Krista's offer, how she considered a peaceful death the best outcome for them. _Perhaps this is for the best._ As much as he wanted to sit and reflect upon everything that had happened, he turned to his side and forced himself to sleep. 

No one woke him the next morning. When he awoke, he was surprised to find himself no longer restrained. He assumed that this must have been Krista's doing, knowing that he wouldn't try to escape without Bertholdt anyway. She must've wanted him to feel free for the last few days of his life. Reiner stepped out from the tent, noticing the two guards stationed there. As expected, no one wanted to speak with him. On the contrary, they'd purposely step out of their way just to avoid him. The terror of being the armored titan was certainly still radiating from him.

"Yo," Ymir greeted, punching him in the back of the shoulder, "You stink. Go take a shower or something,"

Reiner turned to her, scowling, "Whatever,"

"You really want to go see Bertholdt looking and smelling like a dog?" Ymir said, stuffing a hygiene package into his hands, "Showers are at the west. Cafeteria is there too, go grab something to eat while you're at it,"

Reiner hated to admit that Ymir had a point. For the entire time, he had to make do with scrubbing himself down with moist towels. Not to mention the short, itchy beard he had grown in order to disguise himself when he infiltrated Wall Sina. He quickly made his way to the showers, ignoring Ymir when she continued to goad him as he left.

The showering tent was a strange contraption, carrying water in from the river and distributing it across pipes lined on the ceiling of the tent. The stalls were merely sections outlined by hanging cloth with all soap and regular toiletries located in the middle. Floors were made of metal grates which would drain the water back into the nearby river. Reiner couldn't deny that he was somewhat impressed by the construction. He also couldn't deny how good it felt to have water pour itself down his body like fresh, summer rain. He almost used up the entire chunk of soap he had taken, scrubbing away all the dirt and grime that built up on his body. He thoroughly rinsed out his hair too, making sure any remaining dye he had used to darken his hair was gone.

By the time Reiner stepped out of the tent, dressed in fresh clothes and chin cleanly shaven, he felt like he was back to his normal self. For just a moment when he was finally cleaned up, he felt that confidence he once had during his prime when he was still a warrior. Suddenly reminding himself of what he needed to do, Reiner skipped the lunch and went straight to Bertholdt's tent. He watched a soldier walk out from the tent, carrying a tray of used needles. Hanji was no doubt busy with her experimentation with Annie so she must have sent an assistant to do it in her place.

Excitedly, Reiner opened the tent flap, smiling widely, "Bertholdt!" He called out.

The taller man, looking considerably healthier turned from where he lay and looked at him pleasantly contrasting the smaller blonde with icy eyes that scowled at him. The soft expression Annie had as she spoke to Bertholdt instantly turned into seething rage as she said a quick goodbye, slammed the apple sauce she had been feeding Bertholdt to the table, and stormed out. Reiner watched as Hanji instantly swept her away for research once she left the tent.

"Hey," Bertholdt murmured, turning Reiner's attention back to him, "You look good," He said with a half-smile.

"So do you," Reiner replied as he walked over, "You always have,"

Bertholdt let out a small chuckle. Reiner was surprised that he hadn't blushed at his words, "Did you and Annie get into a fight? She looked angrier than usual,"

"We got into a fight last night. She kicked the crap out of me," Reiner picked up the cup of apple sauce she had left behind, "It was nothing big. Don't worry about it," He took the miniature spoon provided with the applesauce into his hand. Given the size of the portion and utensil, the applesauce appeared to have been for children. Reiner deduced that Bertholdt's stomach infection had yet to subside so they gave him softer foods to eat, "Say ah," He cooed mockingly as he took a large spoonful of applesauce and held it in front of Bertholdt.

Bertholdt held up one hand, smiling shyly, "I'm not hungry,"

"Hey, you let Annie feed you."

"That's because she was making a really scary face," Bertholdt replied, staring at the spoonful of applesauce, "Really, I'm not hungry,"

"What if I fed you another way?" Reiner asked with a sly smile before he placed his hands beside Bertholdt, caging him in. He placed the handle of the spoon into his mouth, leaning in so the other side was pressed gently against Bertholdt's lips, "Well?" Reiner said around the spoon in his mouth.

Bertholdt, too weak to get away, merely stared at Reiner incredulously as a blush slowly built on his face. From this proximity, Reiner could see that Bertholdt was already sweating. His lips were fidgeting, Reiner noted as he smiled seductively. Bertholdt was tempted to eat it like this but he was afraid that this would start a whole new game for Reiner: 'Fun ways to make Bertholdt eat'.

"Hey Bertl! I got some clean clothes for you to wear," Ymir called from outside, "Have I ever mentioned that you're way too tall? Couldn't find clothing for you anywhere!"

Reiner didn't bother moving from their position, despite Bertholdt's embarrassed squeaks. Reiner merely pouted back at him, _"Eat the applesauce or else I won't back away,"_ Reiner said with his eyes. Bertholdt resisted, merely staring down Reiner in the most unintentionally adorable way possible. It was just Ymir, Bertholdt reasoned, and she already knew all about them. Reiner wasn't going to win this time.

"Oh hey, you came to see Bertholdt too?"

 _"_ What."

Ymir pulled the tent flap open, revealing the twenty or so researchers who were lined up behind her dying to see if their experimental serums had worked. Everyone was stunned silent, except for Ymir who burst into laughter.

"Reiner!" Bertholdt cried out, his sweat practically coming out as steam from his crimson blush.

"Oops," Reiner muttered, still holding the spoon his mouth. He gave a small wave to the researchers, twiddling his fingers at them as they slowly backed off.

"Real pieces of fucking work," Ymir muttered, tossing the bundle of clothes onto the chair by the entrance. Just as she left and closed the tent flap, Reiner swore he heard her mumble, "I should try this with Historia,"

With Reiner distracted by Ymir's remarks, Bertholdt quickly snapped his lips around the spoon and slurped up the apple sauce. Before Reiner could even look at him, Bertholdt pulled his head back and took the spoon right out from Reiner's teeth. He wasn't quite sure exactly _why_ he did that but it earned him an offended look from Reiner.

"That's not fair. I wasn't paying attention," Reiner said, refusing to back off.

Bertholdt shrugged back, taking the spoon out of his mouth and placing it on the tray next to them. Bertholdt let out a small gasp as Reiner leaned forward, pressing their foreheads together. At this close proximity, Bertholdt could notice the slightest of blush on Reiner's face. Pressing back against Reiner, the two laughed to themselves, happy that they were finally together again.

Reiner broke off the contact as he sat down on the edge of the bed. He reached out to Bertholdt, gently holding his face and caressing his cheek with the palm of his hand. He smiled as Bertholdt leaned into his touch, letting his fingers play with the tips of his hair.

"You're back," Bertholdt whispered, shutting his eyes, "I'm so glad you're back," He held onto Reiner's arm with his free hand, cradling it close, "And you came for me,"

"I'll always come for you," Reiner replied, brushing his cheek with his thumb. It was his duty as a warrior after all, "No matter what happens, I'll always protect you," A single warm tear fell onto his thumb. With his second hand, Reiner cupped the other side of Bertholdt's face, catching the tears on his fingers, " _Bertl_ ," He whispered, caressing his face with his thumb before leaning in close and pressing their lips together.

With his free arm, Bertholdt loosely grabbed onto the front of Reiner's shirt and pulled him forward, deepening their kiss. One hand dropped from Bertholdt's face, sliding down to rest behind Bertholdt's shoulder. When Reiner tore away to press kisses all over Bertholdt's face, Bertholdt reached under his shoulders with his free hand and gripped the back of his shirt, pulling him into a hug as tight as he could make it with his trembling body, "I want to spend the rest of my life with you,"

Reiner chuckled against the side of his head, "Is that a marriage proposal?" He whispered before nipping on his ear.

"I want to spend _my last few days_ with you," Bertholdt rephrased his statement, reflecting their cruel situation.

Reiner slowed his kisses, remembering the cost of Bertholdt's health. That was why he had gotten into a fight with Annie. More than anything, he wished he could spend years, _decades_ , with Bertholdt in his arms. Only now could he truly admit that Annie wasn't wrong. This was the only way Bertholdt could have survived even if it was just for a few days. He had no right to blame her for setting their execution date.

Reiner nodded back gently, letting go of Bertholdt as he reached for the applesauce again, "Me too," He replied to his statement before spoon feeding him again. This time, Bertholdt didn't fight it. Whether it was because his appetite had returned or if he didn't want Reiner to embarrass him again, Reiner was glad that Bertholdt was finally eating again.

When Reiner had successfully fed everything on the tray, consisting of a cup of applesauce, bread roll, and half an apple, to Bertholdt, the taller male yawned and stretched out on his bed, "Thanks," Bertholdt whispered as he absently reached for Reiner's hand, holding it lightly, "I'm sorry for dragging both of you behind. You would have escaped if it wasn't for me,"

"It wouldn't have been worth it to escape without you," Reiner replied without hesitation.

"That's exactly what Annie said," Bertholdt smiled, rolling onto his side, wincing a bit when he put pressure on tender flesh and sore joints. Reiner thought he was planning on curling up before he slept. Instead, Bertholdt shimmied over to the edge of the bed and patted the center, "Stay with me," The look on Reiner's face was almost too eager, "You know how you held me back at that house, I want you to hold me like that again," Before he could even finish his sentence, Reiner tossed off his shoes and climbed onto the bed, almost yanking the tubes right out from Bertholdt's arms as he scooped the taller man onto his chest between his legs, "Careful!" He shouted out, muffling a cry of pain when Reiner accidentally kicked his legs.

"Sorry, sorry," Reiner replied, smiling wildly as he lay back against the pillows. He wrapped both his arms around Bertholdt gently, careful not to press on his still sore body.  

Consequences be damned, it felt too good laying against Reiner's still muscular chest, protected by his strong limbs draped around him. Like a kitten, Bertholdt nuzzled at his chest till he found a comfortable place to lay his head down. Once he did, he let off a soft mewl before shutting his eyes and falling asleep.

With Bertholdt sleeping blissfully in his arms basking in each other's warmth, as long as he could spend a few days like this, the prospect of death no longer seemed as scary to Reiner. He spent a while petting Bertholdt's hair affectionately, glaring playfully at the assistant who came in to do Bertholdt's hourly shots. Eventually, he shut his eyes and joined Bertholdt in sleep, never letting go even when he dozed off.

 

"Excellent! That concludes our research for the day!" Hanji declared, waving to Annie who sat upon a crystal fossil of her female titan, "Good job team. Let's grab some dinner!"

"Doctor Zoe!" A messenger soldier called out as Annie slowly climbed down the titan fossil. She was just about to leave and visit Bertholdt until she heard the messenger speak, "Message from Commander Irvin!" Immediately, Annie froze, staying where she was but listening closely to the conversation, "He has received your message about the escapees,"

Hanji nodded back, briefly looking over to Annie before turning back to the messenger, "What is the verdict?"

"He shall be here in three days to perform the execution of all three titans,"

 _Three days._ Three days left to live. Annie swallowed hard. As much as she told herself that she was alright with this situation, a part of her still wanted to live alongside Reiner and Bertholdt. She continued to watch the messenger and Hanji till the scientist dismissed the soldier. Hanji looked back at her not with pity for her situation but pity for her research, "It is a shame," Hanji remarked, pulling her goggles onto her forehead as she spoke to Annie, "There was a lot I wished to learn about the titan shifters. Especially this material you can create with your body. This could be a very powerful resource," She lifted a fragment of Annie's armor coating that had broken off during her experimentation.

Annie shrugged lazily. She couldn't expect any empathy from Hanji. Despite the joy of having a new area to study, in the end, they were still enemies to humanity. The Survey Corps lost a lot of good, strong people because of them. No amount of scientific discovery could possibly change that.

Absently, as Annie headed towards Bertholdt's tent, she wondered who would be there to witness their execution. She wondered if her old friends would look at her with pity or rage. Granted, she didn't have many friends in the army unlike Reiner who enjoyed his role as 'father to his people'. Mina Carolina was her closest friend and she was long gone. She never truly got along with Mikasa but she always thought of her as a worthy rival. Whatever kinship she may have had with Eren was no doubt shattered to pieces by now. Eren was psychopathic when it came to titans. If Bertholdt's unconscious ramblings were accurate, it was Eren who eventually took the helm and tortured him relentlessly.

Thinking back, Annie really didn't have an opinion on what her comrades thought of her. She barely had an opinion on them. All except for one...

"Annie..." Annie could recognize that soft voice anywhere.

"Armin," She said, stopping but not looking at him, "I thought you'd be with Irvin's brigade. Eren and Mikasa are there, aren't they?"

She could hear him approach from behind. He stepped around her, looking at her face with a maturity that Annie had never seen on him before, "I needed to know if it was really you," Annie figured that he must have escorted the messenger.

"And what of it?" Annie said, walking past him. Armin followed her closely but stayed out of her line of sight.

"I just want you to know that I don't think any less of you," Armin said, stopping Annie dead. Her expression of absolute disbelief was not visible to Armin but the younger man was aware of it,  "You did what you could to win the war. Even if you betrayed us, you did it for your greater cause," Armin pressed a hand to his chest, shouting to her even though they were steps apart, "Even someone weak like me could understand that,"

Annie sighed heavily. Armin's kindness was wasted on her, "You realize that if I could go back in time, go back to the moment I met you in my titan form, I would kill you without hesitation. Right?" She looked to him with her deathly cold eyes, "I don't need your consolation. I will accept my death when it comes,"

Armin smiled weakly to her, his features trembling as if fighting an urge to cry, "Of course. You're a warrior, after all,"

The icy cool facade Annie held up so desperately crumbled instantly. A softness returned to her features, warmth reflecting in her eyes, " _What_?"

"I could have saved a lot of people if I had your conviction. Even if it meant that you had to kill me, I can't blame you. It's a war. People have to die," Armin replied, staring straight at her, "If you aren't willing to sacrifice something important, you can never hope to change anything!" _Sacrifice_. Herself for the sake of her people. Herself for the sake of Bertholdt and Reiner, "Three days from now, as a soldier, I must hate you and condemn you. But, as myself, you'll always be a good person to me,"

 _As a warrior, you'll always be the proof of my failure. But, as myself,_ "You'll always be precious to me," Annie whispered, too quietly for Armin to hear. She looked to him, watching Armin as he saluted her with a fist over his heart. After a brief moment of contemplation, Annie returned the gesture. Neither of them smiled, both understanding that exchanging smiles would not suit enemies on either side of the war.

For this first moment since Annie had awoken, she felt like the burden of failure was no longer crushing her.

When they parted ways to rest, Annie dropped by Bertholdt's tent, peering in to see Bertholdt draped over Reiner in the bed. She sighed, mentally scolding Reiner for jostling Bertholdt around while he was still injured. She placed a note by the side of the bed, telling them of their execution date. She didn't bother waking them though; they deserved their first real night together.

 

"Come on, Bertl, you can do it!" Reiner cheered as he knelt beside the bed with his hands holding either of Bertholdt's. It was early in the morning which meant their campsite would be mostly deserted. It would be a perfect time for the two to take a brief walk. It would have been good for Bertholdt's health.

Bertholdt, sitting at the edge of the bed with the tubes removed from his arm, shook his head at Reiner's enthusiasm, "I'm not a child," Almost immediately, Reiner repeated his words with his lips puckered as if talking to a baby, "You're unbelievable," Bertholdt sighed. Nonetheless, Bertholdt slowly shifted his weight off the bed, placing both his feet onto the floor before leaning forward. The pain from applying pressure to his legs was immediate but not overwhelming. Though the open wounds had sealed up, Reiner could tell from the markings left behind just how extensive the damage was, no more than broken bone but no less than flaying.

"Something wrong?" Bertholdt asked, looking down at Reiner who's hands had drifted over to Bertholdt's calf, fingers ghosting over the injuries, "Ah!" Bertholdt cried out as Reiner pressed a kiss to his knee as he gently caressed the calf in his hands.

Reiner smiled to him before standing up again, "Good luck charm," He said, taking his hands again, "Keep going. You're almost up,"

Shakily, Bertholdt slowly got to his feet. A dull pain was already building along all the joints in his legs. His breathing quickened as he fought the urge to collapse to the ground and disperse the pressure. Instead, he fell forward onto Reiner, gripping onto his shoulders for support. In response, Reiner held his trembling hips, steadying him.

"Got it?" Reiner asked, nudging Bertholdt's drooping head upward with his forehead.

Almost immediately, Bertholdt stumbled forward and crashed into Reiner. Slowly, he propped himself back onto his feet, "I'll need your support,"

"You always do," Reiner replied, taking Bertholdt's arm and draping it over his shoulder. His own arm stayed securely wrapped around Bertholdt's waist.

Step-by-step, the two slowly moved out from the tent. A couple more steps later, when Bertholdt got accustomed to the pain, he slowly let go of Reiner and began taking his own steps forward. Reiner kept his arm around his waist though, too comfortable with the familiar weight to let go.

"Anywhere you need to go?" Reiner asked.

"Someplace to wash up would be nice," Bertholdt replied.

Step by step, Reiner walked him over to the shower tent and reserved a stall just for them. Reiner had assumed that Bertholdt wouldn't have minded sharing a curtained stall. He was oddly surprised when he heard the shower water starting while he was collecting soaps from the center storage dressed in nothing but a towel.

"Hey Bertl," Reiner called out, "Weren't you going to wait for me? I took my clothes off and everything,"

"It's okay. I don't think this shower could fit both of us," Bertholdt replied in a shaky voice.

Reiner knew that was nonsense. He had been in one just yesterday. If anything, there was way too much space in the shower which led to most of the water just flowing down the drain, "Bertholdt, I've seen your body already. It won't scare me away,"

Bertholdt didn't know how to respond. The whole time since he had removed his clothing and entered the shower, he couldn't stop himself from wrapping his arms over his body and crouching on the floor to cover himself,  trying to hide his naked flesh from absolutely no one. The shame of being stripped bare and forcefully taken was still familiar to him. Not even Reiner's presence could protect him from it.

Reiner didn't say anything, merely stepping away from the stall and entering the one next to him. He understood and he didn't want to force Bertholdt to speak of it. In silence, the two showered trying their best to ignore the awkwardness they had caused. Honestly, Reiner wasn't too surprised and understood Bertholdt's feelings enough to dismiss it. Bertholdt, on the other hand, felt like he'd just turned down a marriage proposal from Reiner. Flustered and hot, after Bertholdt got dressed and paced back and forth outside Reiner's shower, he swallowed his inhibitions and dove into the shower stall.

"Reiner!" He called out, nearly tackling the naked blonde man who was busy lathering his hair.

Reiner screamed out in surprise, dropping all the soap he had been carrying onto the metal grate, "What are you doing? You're getting your clothes all wet!"

"I don't mind," Bertholdt replied, still clinging onto him in a tight hug. Reiner could feel his hands slipping over his flesh due to the soapy water. They were desperately trying to find purchases on his flesh, wanting to hold onto Reiner and never let go. He sighed just a bit when he felt Reiner's wet hands circling around his waist, pressing into the shirt that was now soaked and sticking to his body.

Reiner chuckled a bit as he returned the hug. After a while, he took a step back, bowing forward to rinse off the soap in his hair while a thoroughly soaked Bertholdt watched him. With a sly smile, Reiner stood back up and ran a hand through Bertholdt's wet hair, "You know, soaked from head to toe, hair all messy and clothes skin-tight on you, kind of sexy," Bertholdt smiled back at his words before lifting his hand to wipe a spot of bubbles onto Reiner's nose, "...my god, just marry me now Bertl,"

 

Annie didn't bother stopping by Bertholdt tent. Knowing Reiner, he probably dragged Bertholdt along with him to play despite his health. Annie sighed exasperatedly as she walked towards the research area. _You're such a child, Reiner_. She muttered to herself, listening to the assistant in charge of daily shots panic inside the tent.

On her way over, she had taken a cup of oatmeal along. Despite the lack of harm done to her body, continuing to shift into her titan form and crystallize herself was beginning to tire her out. She knew she'd have to alert Hanji of this, asking her to at least pace her transformations so she could keep doing them up till her death.

"You are housing war criminals in your camp!" A familiar but still unpleasant voice shouted. While Annie could not remember his name, she still could identify him as one of the senior members who had once ordered her around.

"These are Commander Irvin's orders. The titan shifters are to be executed two days from now when her returns. In this camp run by the Survey Corps, his orders are absolute, Captain Gavin," Hanji replied with cold conviction, spitting out his name as she spoke.

"Their sentence was absolute! They are to serve every faction till their death. You are denying all of humanity their justice!" Gavin barked.

"If I remember correctly, it was only Bertholdt Hoover who was sentenced," Hanji replied, folding her arms as she looked at the man with a condescending stare, "Both Annie Leonhardt and Reiner Braun have not been sentenced. Additionally, I invoke the right of tribune for custody of Bertholdt Hoover: Should a human being subject to unacceptable sentence by the Military, all high ranking members of the faction have the right to veto the sentence and take the human into their custody provided that they will imbue upon them a punishment of proper value."

"He is not a human!" Gavin shouted in response. Even the Military Police brigade that followed after him looked visibly frightened by the man's rage, "Which voids the right of tribune,"

"I think that's up for debate, isn't it?" Hanji replied, slipping on her goggles, "I will not give up custody over the titan shifters, by Irvin's commands and my own volition."

"Then consider yourself an enemy to the state," Gavin hissed before turning, signalling his brigade to move out, "There will be a war. I hope you are prepared,"

While the researchers around Hanji were very much frightened by the vengeful commander, Hanji herself remained calm and cool right to the end, only removing her goggles to rub at the bridge of her nose at worst, "Take five, everyone," She declared, "I will need to consult with the seniors. We'll meet after lunch," She pointed to a crowd of soldiers, "One of you, please escort Annie Leonhardt,"

 _Escort_. Annie knew what she truly meant. _You mean, shoot me in case I try to escape?_

"I'll do it," Armin's voice cut through the silence of the reluctant soldiers. She walked over to her side carrying a bundle of clothing, nodding quickly, "How are you?"

"Good," Annie said, already walking away.

Armin followed after her, "Here, I got you your uniform," He said, handing her the uniform she had worn prior to coming here, "They washed it for you. I figured you'd be more comfortable in it,"

As insulting as it was to wear the enemies' colours, Annie had to admit that her uniform was far more comfortable on her body than the simple, cheap peasant clothing they had given her. With the expenses at hand, Annie assumed that they must've borrowed the clothing from a village. She changed into her uniform as soon as she found an empty tent. Armin greeted her as she stepped out but almost immediately, Annie felt something strange in her jacket. The anti-titan pistol Reiner had given to her was still nested inside.

Armin watched as she withdrew the pistol, checking the chamber again to see the single anti-titan bullet, "They said it was alright for you to carry that. The bullet won't do anything to humans anyway and the sickbay isn't exactly the safest place in terms of titans," Annie nodded, slipping the pistol away, "Did you get it from the civilian weapon suppliers?"

"No, Reiner gave it to me," Annie replied. She could only vaguely remembered Reiner mentioning Jean. Most likely, Jean was the one who gave it to him for study. There was no need to mention this, however, so Annie stayed quiet about it, "What do you mean by the sickbay not being safe?"

"Ah, well, I can show you if you have time," Armin replied, pointing her in the other direction where the patients and researchers were, "We derived the anti-titan cure from Ymir. I'm not sure if you know but Ymir was a titan who had regained herself after she ate one of your kind," Annie let out an intrigued hum. She honestly had no idea about Ymir, "Hanji extracted what exactly helped her regain herself and used that to make the cure. So far, it's worked perfectly on Ymir, Reiner, and Bertholdt," _Not Eren_. Eren still had his titan form as expected, "Although, the regular titans are having trouble reverting,"

The two stopped in front of the first patient, a man who was freshly administered the cure. While his torso and head were entirely human, his limbs were still wildly out of proportion and seemed to fidget on their own. His speech was incoherent too but it was clear that the man was terrified.

"What in the world..." Annie muttered, immediately stepping deeper into the sea of patients and researchers.

All around her were humans suffering from partial transformations. At worst, the human was completely incoherent and its limbs were practically moving on their own, giving off an unnatural amount of heat. Serums and drips were injected to them by the researchers. Annie could tell that there was no clear plan. They were injecting them out of pure experimentation, desperate for some reprieve on their suffering patient.

A blood-curdling screech came from their right. Immediately, Armin and Annie readied themselves as they saw a woman, eyeless and screaming, with her torso attached to a titan's legs from the bottom. She screamed in pain and horror, flailing around like an aberrant desperately. Immediately, the soldiers around shot her down, further injecting her with anti-titan cure despite the apparent pain it caused her.

Armin watched on, swallowing as the woman's titan limbs were nailed down, "It's not pretty. The cure at most can stop a titan. Whatever happens afterwards is still being worked on," He nodded further down though, "The aberrant titans are fairing much better though," He walked Annie over to a much calmer section where most patients had fully regained their body, "They've regained their body and some of them have regained their full sense too." A small laugh from Annie caught Armin's attention, "Annie?"

"I'm just a bit amazed," Annie said, "After living in the city, I thought every human had become incompetent and useless. But, look at this place, and all it took were a few good soldiers to make it work,"

Armin smiled a bit, nodding, "We kept trying and it paid off," He sighed shortly after, "I just hope we won't start a war against the Military Police and Garrison in a few days. You overheard the messenger, right?" Annie nodded, "The Military Police is so desperate to get you back and the Garrison just blindly follows them. We've decided already though, we won't let them deliver punishment on you,"

Annie scoffed, "I hope it's not because you pity me. I'm not an innocent victim who got forced to fight in a war."

"Of course not!" Armin replied, "We're doing this because we want to protect the humans from themselves."

"Protect them from themselves, I like the sound of that," Annie took a seat at the edge of the patient area, watching as researchers came in and out with supplies. Armin took a seat next to her, looking to her occasionally, "You've grown a lot. I almost didn't recognize you,"

Armin shrugged in reply, "A lot has happened while you slept. If you want, I can tell you about anything you missed."

"Were you there when Bertholdt and Reiner fell?" Annie asked, "I want to know what happened,"

"I was there. It was at the edge of Wall Maria. Hanji had only just made the anti-titan poison and I was with her when we were transporting it to the frontlines. Reiner and Bertholdt had both shifted by the time I had gotten there. Against the two of them working together, Eren was barely holding them off. Hanji shot down Reiner first, then Bertholdt."

"How could they get away?"

"Reiner had his full gear on. We expected the fall to hamper his escape. Turns out, his regenerative powers were still intact so he was able to repair himself and get away on his 3DM gear. Bertholdt fell from a much taller height and suffered fatal injuries. That was the only reason we were able to catch him since he hadn't regenerated yet."

Annie clicked her tongue, leaning back, "I wouldn't have left Bertholdt behind,"

Armin let out a shy chuckle, "There were a lot of us there. He might not have been able to escape if he did,"

"I guess," Annie replied, "Thanks,"

She took out the pistol again, examining it with intense intrigue. Such a tiny bullet in a weapon of such simple construction had become the downfall of titans. Her fingers slid over the handle, rubbing over a strange ridge at the edge: It was the Military police emblem carved into the bottom. Indeed, Reiner had gotten this from Jean. Armin had not mentioned this emblem though and someone as meticulous as him would definitely know.

"These guns could be of better construction," Annie noted, remembering exactly how they were able to defeat an entire crowd of armed civilians.

"They're working on it. The newer models are better," Armin replied.

She un-chambered her weapon, catching the single bullet that fell out. It was thin but heavy with a needle like point at the very top. The point was definitely made from the same material used for their swords, giving it enough durability to break through titan flesh. At closer inspection with the bullet sitting in her palm, she noticed a slight shifting of weight inside it like the feeling of sand rolling around in an hourglass, "Why a single bullet?"

"Expenses, I guess, mine only has a single bullet too," Armin replied with a shrug, "Really, the civilian arms are just for reassurance. I doubt they'll ever be used against an actual titan,"

He watched Annie turn the bullet over in her hand, noticing a slight indent at the base of it. She ran her thumb over it, noticing just the slightest of holes in the bullet. This must've been where the anti-titan toxin was injected, Annie figured. At impact, the needle point of the bullet would be the only part that would penetrate the titan's flesh. From there, the toxin would be injected. It was amazing that such a tiny dose would be able to take down even a seventeen-foot titan.

After re-chambering the bullet lazily, Annie aimed it towards the sky, lining it up with her arm and right eye, "At mid-to-close range, this would work."

"But how many people are willing to get mid-to-close to a titan?" Armin asked.

Annie laughed a bit, tucking the pistol back into her jacket, "You've got a point,"

A familiar flash of light came from the center of the camp. Panic arose from the researchers and soldiers as they quickly rallied towards the light, rushing to load their specialized rifles. Armin ran towards the crowd instinctively with his own pistol, of much better design Annie noted. Annie followed after, looking over shoulders to see what was going on. It wasn't hard to see, however, as a seventeen foot titan rose from the grass, crushing the bed it lay on.

The skin of the titan was completely gone, reminiscent of Annie's own titan body. However, unlike her body, this titan's flesh looked as if it had been burned off its body. The flesh was raw and sizzling with energy. The dirt at its feet was literally melting away from its body heat. Despite the panic in a few untrained doctors and innocent patients, the soldiers quickly circled the titan and fired their shots into it. As soon as the titan fell, the soldiers quickly tied down the beast with ropes. In mere seconds, the titan threat was subdued.

"What was going on?" Annie asked, watching as Armin assisted the doctors with extracting the IV drip.

Armin turned to a researcher, taking in the heavy explanation. Annie could only catch snippets. Something or another about 'Serum J-3 being a failure' and 'Eren being a poor source of testing'. Annie waited for Armin to return, waited for his condensed explanation.

"They were trying out an experimental serum," Armin said, lifting a syringe half full with black fluid from the titan ruins with a pair of gloves. The glass of the syringe was visibly steaming, the fluid inside boiling, "This happens a lot, unfortunately. Especially with experiments," Despite their advances, it was clear that there was still much they did not know about titans. Only now did Annie acknowledge exactly how valuable she was as a test specimen. If it really was just Reiner and Bertholdt who came to the sickbay, Annie was sure that Hanji would have executed them right from the start.

Annie nodded to Armin, shaking herself out from thought as she walked out of the sickbay area, "Do you mind if I get a better pistol?" Annie asked, lifting her own from her coat.

"Why?"

"Reassurance," Annie replied as she un-chambered the bullet to her gun again, "I don't want this discharging into my body. I'd like to stay a titan for as long as I can," Armin had every right to say no. She knew out of his own kindness, Armin would fulfil her request. He took out his pistol and handed it to her, "Don't you need that?"

"Nah, it's alright. I'll just take yours. I can't give you authority to enter the arms tent but I can give you my pistol," Armin said, smiling as she took the pistol from his hands and handed him her own, "You won't believe how much complaints we got from the Military Police for giving them the cheaper equipment,"

Annie smiled at his words, knowing _exactly_ what the Military police was like. She slipped the gun into her pocket and when Armin turned away, she chambered the bullet from her original gun silently. For just a small moment, Annie's eyes became frigidly cold as they watched Armin. The icy moment passed just as quickly as it came, however, when she heard Reiner's voice.

"Careful," Reiner said, catching Bertholdt who fell forward panting heavily, "We can take a break if you're tired,"

Bertholdt shook his head, leaning back on his heels as he lifted his arms into a fighting stance, "I got it," He replied, steadying himself. Reiner responded by lifting his hands up in a defensive manner, palms out and legs slightly bent ready to catch impact. With quick reflexes despite his injuries, Bertholdt delivered two quick punches to Reiner's hands before throwing his leg up for a high kick. Reiner caught his leg easily in his large hands, "Like that?"

"Perfect," Reiner replied, pressing a quick kiss to his leg before dropping it down gently. His hand came forward and brushed away the heavy droplets of sweat on Bertholdt's forehead, "Don't push yourself. I know you're still in pain. You should rest if you need to," Bertholdt shook his head, immediately getting back into a fight stance. Reiner understood his stubbornness. He didn't want to spend his last days sleeping. Reiner indulged him, lifting his hands up to mimic his fighting stance, "Alright, let's do it in real time then, alright?"

Bertholdt smiled just a bit, taking a deep breath to help him weather through the pain, "I won't hold back,"

"Don't forget who's better at hand-to-hand combat, Bertl," Reiner said with a smirk.

Bertholdt was fast; Reiner was strong. Even with his handicap, Bertholdt delivered flurries of quick strikes and swift dodges like a professional. Reiner's style was far more concise. He delivered slow but powerful blows that could incapacitate in a single hit. He absorbed blows, deflecting them to decrease the damage unlike Bertholdt who dodged them.

A small crowd was already starting to form, watching in amazement as the two sparred like they were fighting for their lives. Their foreign techniques enhanced by their soldier training were a marvel to watch.

"Wow, even after all this time, they're still really good," Armin commented, eyes wide.

"Ugh, their technique is all wrong," Annie muttered instead.

Bertholdt let out a very audible cry when he landed on his left leg wrong. His whole body flinched and his fighting stance fell for just a moment. His eyes were locked with Reiner's though, commanding him to keep going. He hadn't felt such an adrenaline rush in a long time. With eyes like that, Reiner couldn't help but obey. He rushed forward, aiming to tackle him down.

Due to his reliance of power over speed, Reiner completely missed the smile that came over Bertholdt's face. Bertholdt's flimsy stance immediately strengthened, returning to his fighter's pose in an instant. With Reiner barreling forward, body low and arms tucked, Bertholdt easily hooked an arm around his shoulders and dragged forward, delivering a swift kick to his leg sending the two of them tumbling onto the ground. Annie was honestly surprised. That was one of her moves. She had no idea Bertholdt could execute it.

Reiner slapped at the grass as Bertholdt tightened the choke hold he held him in, arms wrapped restrictively tight around his neck and under his armpit, "Ouch, you faked me out!" He looked over his shoulder, noting Bertholdt's wide, sinister, entirely Annie-like grin, "You look so much like Annie right now," Reiner let out a sudden yelp as Bertholdt turned and bit his ear gently, nibbling just on the shell. He let out a pleasured sigh at the feeling, stroking Bertholdt's hair with his free hand.

"Bertholdt always really liked Reiner, didn't he?" Armin commented.

"Yeah," Annie replied, folding her arms.

"We had this game back during training. If Bertholdt woke up curled around Reiner 100 times, we'd secretly force them to go on a date, usually by locking the two inside of a cabin for the entire day,"

Annie snorted at the idea, "Did it work?"

 "We ended up doing it _nine_ times,"

"Hey! I heard that!" Reiner shouted, pointing at them upside down while still restrained by Bertholdt, "I still resent you for locking us in and getting us punished by Keith!"

Armin let out a shy chuckle, "It wasn't my idea. Really!"  

The crowd dissipated slowly when the fight ended, most of them turned away when Reiner and Bertholdt's sparring match suddenly turned into a cuddling fight on the ground. Even Armin and Annie left eventually and distracted themselves with small talk, almost embarrassed for them. Bertholdt eventually let go, allowing Reiner to put him in a chokehold-bear-hug from behind. Instead of just small sounds of pleasure, when Reiner applied the same treatment Bertholdt gave to his ear on him, Bertholdt burst into a fit of quiet laughter.

"That tickles, Reiner!" He cried out, kicking his legs, "Ow! You're hurting me! Hey, stop that!" Bertholdt lied with a frown that kept twitching into a smile, On the contrary, his pleas gave Reiner renewed passion as he fervently nibbled away at Bertholdt's ear. He gave in when Reiner curled his legs around him, keeping him safe in his strong embrace.

"Oh look, it's 'Fubar'," A cruel voice said from behind them.

Just from the arrogant tone of their voice, Armin, Reiner, and Annie all assumed that this soldier must've been from the Military Police. Bertholdt knew right away that this man was from the Military Police. After all, he could never forget that voice screaming at him, laughing at his misery, and _moaning_ lustfully.

"I knew the Survey Corps was using him too. That's why they won't give him back," Another soldier jeered.

"You think he's all tight again?"

"No way. He'll never be tight after all that,"

At the cruel words and the sight of Bertholdt near tears, Reiner and Annie nearly lunged at the soldiers and tore their heads off. Armin, quick-thinking and fast, stopped the two by standing between them and the soldiers. He looked to the jeering men, noting the Military Police and Garrison emblem's on their coat.

"State your business," Armin said.

"And who the hell are you?" Another, obviously the senior of the group, said.

Armin saluted them with a fist over his chest, "Armin Arlert. Chief strategist of the Special Operations Squad," He was there senior despite clearly being younger and had every right to request information from them.

The leader of the small brigade reclined irritably, eyes darting over to Bertholdt for a moment making the taller man sitting on the ground jump just a bit, "We came to deliver a message from the capital about the war criminals," He nodded over to Bertholdt.

"And what is it?" Armin asked.

The leader growled a bit before he spoke, clearly annoyed, "If you do not return the war criminals and choose to continue with the execution, the Military Police and Garrison are both ready to wage war against the Survey Corps,"

His words were certainly a surprise to Armin, Annie, and Reiner. The tenacity they felt to take Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt back was nothing short of amazing and nauseating. Armin had difficulty trying to understand just what made them so desperate to take the criminals back.

"Very well, you are dismissed. Deliver your message to Doctor Zoe," Armin replied.

Luckily, the soldiers didn't resist outside of a couple insults aimed at Armin. As each of them left, they made crude gestures to Bertholdt, mimicking a blowjob with their hands before laughing at him. Bertholdt stiffened immediately and shut his eyes, hanging his head in shame.

Immediately, Reiner ran to Bertholdt's side, falling to his knees and holding him close. He could feel Bertholdt's trembling, erratic and desperate. He took Bertholdt's head under his chin, stroking circles on his back to comfort him, "I won't let them touch you. I promise," All of the happiness they had built up before was gone in an instant, siphoned away by the Military Police.

"I want to go back inside," Bertholdt blurted out, trembling harder as he spoke, "Take me back inside, please,"

Reiner nodded quickly, "Right," He signalled to Annie who left Armin's side and took Bertholdt's hand, pulling him up alongside Reiner. The willpower to withstand his aching body was all gone. Bertholdt, now weak-willed and weak-bodied, struggled to even stand on his feet. While all three made their way to the tent slowly, Armin left to keep an eye on any other soldiers coming from capital.

"There you go," Reiner said as he lowered Bertholdt onto his bed. The man instinctively curled up, hugging his knees tightly with eyes dilated in fear. Reiner lowered himself next to Bertholdt, draping an arm around him.

"Hey, Reiner," Annie muttered, locking eyes with him before nodding towards the outside of the tent, "There's a lot of soldiers coming in."

Reiner's gaze darkened, "Where are they from?"

"Take a wild guess," Annie hissed, glaring at the Military Police flags that the brigades held, "It looks like they're really planning on starting a war,"

"Shit, now?" Reiner said as he wrapped the blanket around Bertholdt, shielding him from the world, "This couldn't have been a worst time," There was no doubt that the Military Police had equipped themselves for anti-titan warfare. At the worst case scenario for them, the survey corps may have allied Annie alongside them. At best, there was still Eren to deal with.

Annie shut the flap a bit more, peeking out from just a sliver of light, "Probably not. They'll wait for Irvin to get here. It's still a sickbay after all. Attacking now would be considered a war against civilians,"

"Irvin..." Reiner murmured, "He's coming at the day of our execution,"

" _There's a chance_ ,"

Reiner looked to Annie immediately, catching that slightest whisper, "What did you say?"

She didn't bother looking at him, merely staring out through the tiny crevice with sudden intense intrigue, "Stay with Bertholdt," _Protect him_ , in other words. She rushed out, pulling her hood over her head as she weaved through the crowd stealthily.

"Careful!" He shouted. If those monsters were depraved enough to rape Bertholdt for amusement, Reiner felt nauseated at the thought of what they'd do to Annie. Reiner shut the tent flap when more and more foreign soldiers flooded in. He returned to Bertholdt's side, coaxing him into releasing his knees and laying down on the bed.

"Reiner," Bertholdt murmured, patting the bed beside him. Reiner knew exactly what he needed now. He climbed in beside him, lifting Bertholdt and laying him on his chest framing his hips with both his legs. He didn't sleep, merely staring at the tent walls in front of him aimlessly. All of his pain had finally caught up with him. With Reiner and Annie by his side, Bertholdt really believed he could escape that horrible chapter of his life at least until he died. Just the sight of his assaulters, not even the most vicious of them, was enough to refresh his humiliation and agony. He stewed in his humiliation; he couldn't stop his mind from replaying all of his horrific torture at the hands of the Military Police.

When Reiner thought they'd spend the rest of their day in silence, Bertholdt startled him when he spoke, "You should go to Krista," Reiner stared at him, utterly puzzled, "She's still pure and clean. Unlike me."

"What are you saying?" Reiner muttered.

"I'm tainted, defiled, filthy," The words lazily dripped from Bertholdt's mouth almost like he hadn't wished to say it, "You deserve better than that. Better than _used goods_ ," That was a term the younger soldiers said to him, telling him that no one ever wants goods after the thorough use they made of him.

Just at the thought of his suffering by the hands of the Military Police, Bertholdt burst into tears, "They wouldn't stop. They wouldn't stop!" He cried out, covering up his face with his hands, "I begged them and they wouldn't stop!" Reiner desperately tried to turn him over only for Bertholdt to resist him. He didn't want Reiner to see his face; not a single part of his face hadn't been defiled by his assaulters and Reiner deserved better than that, "I am slave meat. That's what the captain called me, made me call myself that. Not even a person, just a _living sex toy_ ,"

"Don't say that," Reiner shouted, hugging him tightly, "Damn it, don't ever say that!"

"You don't know what they did!" Bertholdt shouted back, crying harder.

"I don't care!" Reiner replied, trying to turn him only for Bertholdt to fight back, shoving at his chest and face with hands wet with tears, "You're more than that and you always will be!" When he finally turned him around, Bertholdt dropped his head and hid his face in his hands.

Bertholdt could only cry harder, too ashamed to face Reiner, "How could you be so sure?" All the bruises, all the blood, all the sweat, all the filth, all of it was back all over his body and on full display for Reiner to see.

Bertholdt gasped as he felt Reiner's hands rest against his face, cupping his chin and pulling his head out from his hands. He shut his eyes for a bit, relishing in Reiner's soothing warmth, "No matter what they did to you, it won't change how I feel about you," Now, now more than ever, Reiner needed to say it. Bertholdt opened his eyes, his heart beating faster but not out of fear, "I love you. I'll always love you and nothing will ever change that,"

 _Reiner deserved better. Reiner deserved someone clean. He would taint Reiner with his defiled body_. All those thoughts and more raced through Bertholdt's head but were immediately silenced as Reiner declared his love for him, "Even if..."

Reiner quieted him by resting both his thumbs over his lips, "Always," He released one hand from his face, sliding it down Bertholdt's sides to rest on his hips, "Trust me. Nothing makes me angrier than to know that they hurt you. But, no matter what you think of yourself and what has been done to you, in my eyes, you'll always be pure. You'll always be my Bertholdt,"

Burying his face into his chest, Bertholdt wailed against him, making a mess of tears all over Reiner's shirt. Reiner could feel Bertholdt's hands creep around him, gripping into him like he couldn't get enough. Reiner wrapped one arm around his back, securing him against his body while he stroked his hair with his other hand, "Let it all out," Reiner murmured, pressing his chin against Bertholdt's head as the taller man wailed harder.

Through a combination of exhaustion, physical and mental, Bertholdt eventually cried himself to sleep, permanently laying on Reiner's chest. Reiner couldn't sleep however, he was too busy stewing in raging over what the Military Police had done to Bertholdt. If he was still a titan, he'd tear those bastards to pieces for what they had done. All throughout his days undercover, he constantly lost himself as a soldier, enjoying life as a human far too much and not understanding why he had to fight his friends. Only now did he realize the corruption at the core of humanity. The war was to purify this world of humanity's evils.

But they lost. And there was no use mulling over it now.

At best, Reiner knew that their deaths would spite the corrupt officials at capital. He knew that a civil war would ensue against the Military Police and Survey Corps with the Garrison in-between. He hoped that the Survey Corps would rip them apart, take revenge for what they did to Bertholdt. That was the best he could hope for.

Lost in his thoughts, Reiner almost missed the fall of night. The sliver of light coming from the tent flap had faded into weak torch light. Just outside, he could see the shifting shadows of the soldiers guarding the tent, could hear them rambling on about the day. He stayed awake as long as he could, slapping himself awake whenever he found himself dozing off. Annie hadn't returned and he wasn't ready to sleep without someone watching over Bertholdt. In the end, by the time one of the closer torches had burned out, Reiner shut his eyes and dozed off, rolling onto his side with Bertholdt closely pressed against his chest.

The absolute silence should've been a dead giveaway. Not a single murmur outside from the guards or the crackle of relighting a torch could be heard. Reiner didn't suspect a single thing until a flurry of hands came down on him and threw him to the ground.

He hit the dirt hard, falling against a couple boots, "What-" He gasped out before instinctively shielding his head as heavy kicks came down at him. They didn't give him even the slightest chance to escape, overwhelming him with a barrage of fierce kicks.

Bertholdt's scream alerted Reiner immediately. He lowered his arms just a bit, looking up at the two soldiers standing at either end of Bertholdt restraining his limbs. The one holding down his wrists gagged him hurriedly with a long strip of cloth with a thick knot in the middle, silencing his screams.  Regardless, Bertholdt continued to scream and struggle, face already feeling hot just from what he knew would happen.

"Let go of him!" Reiner shouted, charging forward only to be taken down by a heavy boot to his back and another at his face, breaking his nose.

"Hold that fucker down," One soldier of clearly high rank hissed as he walked into the tent with a dimmed lantern.

"You pay the guards off?" The soldier restraining Bertholdt's legs asked, digging his nails into his ankles when Bertholdt kicked him.

"Yeah, you better be paying me back, asshole,"

"Hey, no problem, you get to go first,"

Bertholdt's blood turned to ice at his words. He renewed his struggling, thrashing around in bed and screaming so loud that he might've awoken the entire camp had it not been for the gag. The soldiers restraining him didn't bother letting go, knowing that he'd be sure to get away or start a fight if they did. Instead, the senior soldier with the lantern took out a knife and cut away Bertholdt's clothes.

Reiner growled, struggling against the three soldiers that held him down, "You bastards! I swear I'll kill all of you!" The soldier behind him quickly gagged him as well before kicking him to the dirt and restraining him there with a foot at the back of his head. Reiner struggled fiercely, his efforts doubled when Bertholdt began to cry again. However, unlike Bertholdt who they reserved for pleasure, the soldiers weren't afraid to rough Reiner up, kicking him harshly whenever he began to struggle.

"Ah, Bertholdt Hoover," The senior soldier said, resting his hand on one bare thigh as he climbed onto the bed, "Or was it Fubar? Tell me which one do you prefer," With a hand on each thigh, he wrenched his legs apart, exposing him even further. Bertholdt screamed again, twisting around in the bed trying to get away.

"Bertholdt!" Reiner screamed through the gag, muffled and too quiet to reach anyone outside the tent. He couldn't even budge his arms or lift himself even slightly off the ground. He was restrained, helpless, and forced to watch them defile Bertholdt.

At the sound of skin slapping against skin as the soldier jerked himself to hardness, Bertholdt twisted his head away, staring straight into Reiner's eyes longingly. Reiner could do nothing but stare back, struggling every now and then against his restrainers to no avail. The soldiers robbed Bertholdt of this luxury as well, grabbing onto his hair and forcing him to look forward.

"Look at me!" The senior soldier growled, nearly tearing out Bertholdt's hair. Bertholdt squealed weakly in response, resisting the urge to shut his eyes knowing that it would just provoke the madman in front of him, "That's a good boy," He huffed out. He held his hand out for a moment. Bertholdt had no idea what he was doing till another soldier poured a dollop of oil over his fingers. The man then proceeded to slick himself up, "Have you been fucking your friend over there?" Reiner scowled at him, glowering at the man with all his hate. The madman merely laughed, sliding his fingers in-between Bertholdt's crack to make him squirm, "I guess I'll find out, won't I?"

The man harshly pressed his fingers inside him. At the intense burning pain of being stretched too far, Bertholdt thrashed wildly again, hips bucking into the air in an attempt to dislodge the fingers inside him. Hands, too many hands, held him down till his struggling was pointless. The fingers twisted around inside him with only the intent to stretch him. By the time the man had pressed all three fingers in, Bertholdt had already been reduced to a sobbing mess, begging through his gag for them to stop but no one listening. _No one ever listening._

"Tight, but not as tight as our first time," The senior soldier chuckled as he removed his fingers. He peered over to Reiner, thoroughly amused by his outrage, "When we take you back to capital, I'm sure we'll find some soldiers who don't want a pretty face," Bertholdt was completely unaware, so captivated by the man's cruel words that he was shocked when the man thrust into him, spearing him open with his cock. He screamed again, eyes wet with tears and almost absurdly wide. His thrashes were lost amongst the brutal thrusts that shook the entire bed and bruised his thighs.

Reiner growled through the gag and twisted his body angrily, throwing off one soldier and freeing an arm. He punched the one that held onto his other arm, breaking the man's nose with a single punch, "I'll kill all of you!" Reiner barked as he tore off the gag, Someone attempted to tackle him down from behind only to have Reiner catch the soldier and throw him onto the ground, stomping on and breaking his ankle to incapacitate him.

Whether it was out of insanity, overconfidence, or just sick lust, the man raping Bertholdt refused to stop even as Reiner rampaged through his subordinates. Armed with nothing but his rage, Reiner curb-stomped four of the soldiers. He had expected this of the Military Police but the two Garrison soldiers mixed in the bunch threw him off.

"Let go of Bertholdt!" Reiner barked, grabbing onto the senior soldier's shoulders ready to tear him apart. The man instead, calmly released Bertholdt left thigh and reached into his jacket, shooting him point blank with his pistol.

Bertholdt screamed again for an entirely different reason as Reiner collapsed onto the ground, grunt in pain from the impact of the shot. Through the haze of pain, Reiner watched as the senior soldier continued to fuck Bertholdt, his already cruel pace becoming more erratic as he picked up the speed. When he came inside him, he lifted Bertholdt's thighs to an uncomfortable angle and let out a sadistically satisfied moan.

"Fuck you," Reiner hissed, watching as the man pulled out of Bertholdt and wiped off the mess on his cock against Bertholdt's hair, "You got what you want. Now get the hell away from him," The wound in his abdomen was throbbing. The round he fired must've been tampered with. His breathing quickened as the younger soldier restraining Bertholdt switched places with the madman, hand already covered in fresh oil, "No...no, no,"

Bertholdt squealed at contact of another man against his body. Unlike the younger soldier, the senior who restrained his arms gave him no leeway, brutally twisting his limbs if he tried to struggle. Despite this, Bertholdt could not help himself. He couldn't scream anymore already, leaving him with muffled wheezes at most.

"I really wanted to fuck that girl titan. Shame we couldn't find her. But I guess you'll do," The younger soldier cooed mockingly into Bertholdt's ear. The man wasted no time, fucking into him with sickening excitement and strength, aroused by the sight of Bertholdt squirming around his cock.

Reiner, utterly crippled by the pain, could do nothing, could barely keep himself from passing out. He watched the soldiers he had incapacitated before stand back up, watched them leave him on the ground and approach Bertholdt, could hear Bertholdt increasing cries of fear and agony. All those hands, gripping at him, caressing him with mock comfort, he'd never be able to wash off the feel of those hands painting his body with filth and taint.

"Bertholdt..." Reiner murmured over and over till the pain overtook him and he passed out.

He awoke to the taste of dirt in his mouth. Reiner groaned as he rolled himself over, patting himself on the chest. The wound was gone leaving a hole in his shirt and phantom pain behind. As soon as he had shaken himself out from his sleepy daze, Reiner sat up quickly and scrambled over to Bertholdt. From the ground, all he could see was a single limp arm dangling over the bed. Fearfully, Reiner reached up to take his hand, relieved that his flesh was not deathly cold.

"Hey, Bertholdt," Reiner whispered, pulling himself up. Bertholdt lay face down on the bed with his head turn to the wall. The gag had fallen off the bed; Reiner noticed it when he accidentally knelt over the sticky cloth. Fresh bruises that were beginning to heal were littered all along his body especially against his thighs and buttocks. Reiner quickly covered up the sickening abuse with a sheet that was discarded on the ground. Reiner touched his shoulder gently, shaking him just a bit. He retracted immediately when Bertholdt's entire body jolted. He had woken Bertholdt up and all the terror from being gang-raped returned.

He screamed, gripping into the sheets and wailing like a trapped beast. He kicked away the blanket, struggling against nothing till Reiner held him still, "It's me!" Reiner cried out, turning Bertholdt only for the man to start clawing at his face. He wouldn't let go though, desperate for Bertholdt to hear his voice and realize that he was safe now.

When he could not shake off Reiner's grasp, Bertholdt tucked his head into his arms trying to shrink himself away, "You got what you wanted! Aren't you satisfied?" He cried hysterically into his arms, his whole body trembling harshly.

Reiner didn't pull away, instead, he scooped Bertholdt up into a tight hug, covering his body from everything. He struggled at first, frightened by the pressure till he relaxed out of exhaustion. Bertholdt pressed his face into Reiner's shoulder, taking a deep breath. Reiner's earthy musk calmed him instantly, easing him out of his hysteria.

"I should have kept watch," Reiner whispered into Bertholdt's shoulder, "I failed at protecting you _again_ ,"

Bertholdt whimpered back in reply, slowly twisting himself out from Reiner's grasp and back onto the bed. He was still exhausted mentally and physically. He dozed off shortly after he lay back down, tears still leaking from his eyes. Reiner on the other hand couldn't rest at all. His whole body was shaking with boiling hot rage. He was lulled into peace last night, sleeping right in the midst of the enemy. Had he been awake, he knew he would have been able to subdue all of the attackers. Instead, he was taken down and Bertholdt was raped right in front of him.

Trusting Bertholdt to be safe for now, Reiner changed both of them into a fresh set of clothing before leaving the tent. He was ready to take the nearest Military Police soldier and beat him to death. He'd make _every_ soldier pay, he promised that. However, as Reiner scanned the world around him, he noticed that not a single Military Police flag or Garrison flag was in the vicinity. Not a single extra soldier was seen either only the typical researchers with their red and white emblems and small patrols that circled the tent. The two soldiers guarding the tent were new but distinctly survey corps. It was as if everything was just a wretched nightmare. As much as Reiner hoped for that, he knew it wouldn't be the case.

He would have preferred to find out the truth from Krista or Armin. Instead, he went for the closest tent he could so he wouldn't stray far from Bertholdt. He entered the larger tent, surprised to see Hanji fully uniformed and able at the very break of dawn. She spoke to a soldier with an extremely troubled look in her eyes.

"...that War is inevitable now," Hanji muttered to the soldier, covering her mouth as she contemplated her thoughts.

"Hanji," Reiner called out, walking towards her when she turned to his direction, "Where are all the soldiers from capital?"

"We kicked them out," Hanji replied, removing her goggles to rub at the bridge of her nose, "After what transpired, there was no way they'd be able to stay. I am sorry for your friend,"

She knew what happened. Reiner could only hope that she had interrupted them before all of them had their way with Bertholdt, "Is that why you kicked them out?" He was trying to be optimistic about it. Clearly everyone in the tent knew that this was not the case.

"Come with me, Annie should be the one to tell you," Hanji replied gesturing towards the other soldier as all three of them made their way out of the tent and into a heavily guarded section of the camp.

"Where are we?" Reiner asked.

"High security area. It's where we keep highly unstable patients," Hanji replied, nodding over to the beds, "Ones that may transform back into a titan or are still violent. We keep them here under heavy surveillance,"

_What's Annie doing here?_

Hanji reached a solitary tent surrounded by soldiers. Altogether, there were probably more soldiers here than there were in the entire high security area. She pulled the flap open, "Annie Leonhardt, Reiner is here to see you,"

Sitting in a solitary chair in a chain lined tent, Annie looked up with her deathly cold eyes, "Thought you'd be here soon,"

"Annie? What happened?" Reiner asked, turning to Hanji for an answer.

"When we drafted together a contract, we agreed that she would be given her freedom to wander around the camp as long as she never shifted into a titan without permission," Hanji explained.

"I broke our deal. I killed those bastards who raped Bertholdt," Annie said, cool and calculating, "I heard them bragging about it by the bonfire and lost control,"

Hanji sighed heavily, turning away briefly, "And now our fates are sealed. War with the capital is inevitable."

"Just hand me over," Reiner replied, "That'll avert war, won't it?" It may not lengthen Bertholdt or Annie's lives but it would protect them from the chance of ending up in the capital's hands.

"The civil war itself isn't an issue. Irvin and I chose not to hand you over because it will only worsen the corruption in the city," Hanji remarked. Even she had to admit how far the humans had fallen, "We'd prefer a fight over seeing the capital degenerate even more,"

Despite Hanji clear disapproval of what had occurred, Reiner truly couldn't have been more happy. Those soldiers happily tortured Bertholdt using the excuse that he was a titan to do whatever they want. In their final moments of death, they got to experience the terror of facing a titan head on moments before they died, no doubt crushed into morbidly beautiful crimson splatters as reminders to everyone who doubted the strength of the titans.

"Thank you," Reiner mumbled to Annie.

"Don't. I wanted to do it," Annie replied, "Now we can have another war,"

"I can't believe this," Hanji said with a huff, "We only just won against the titans and now we're going after each other's throats? I think I'm starting to prefer the titans,"

 

From that moment on, Reiner remained at Bertholdt's side. He never left the taller man alone even as he slept. Annie was locked away which meant she wouldn't be able to protect Bertholdt if anything else were to happen. Luckily, with all the soldiers from capital flushed out, the threat of another assault was low. Bertholdt had lost all of his energy, reverting back to his catatonic state. While his body was healthy, his mind was sent back to the underground cell, to the comfort room.

Reiner didn't question him, didn't try to shake him out of it. Bertholdt barely had the will to stay awake. Instead, he just sat by his side feeding him, cleaning him, chatting with him when Bertholdt's consciousness would return for just a short moment.

Annie wasn't allowed to visit. She was escorted by a full team of soldiers to and from her tent. It was unnecessary since there was nothing left to provoke her. More than anything, it was just a show to put the researchers at ease. Most of them had never seen a titan shifter in their lives. Most of them hadn't even seen a fully functional titan, just the remains of a patient at best. The only luxury they gave her was allowing Armin to visit and allowing her to keep her belongings. The pistol in particular, she had been quite fascinated with it as Armin noted so they allowed her to keep it.

It was only on their very last night alive with Bertholdt already in bed did they allow Annie to visit him. The soldiers escorting her surrounded the tent like a human fence. Reiner and Annie stood in silence, staring at Bertholdt who slept with a troubled look and twitching body.

"I'm sorry I blew up at you," Reiner said, finally apologizing for their first conversation when they came to the sickbay.

"Took you long enough," Annie replied, folding her arms as she contemplated accepting this three-day late apology.

"You did more than I ever could. And these last few days, we were able to live like normal humans thanks to you," Reiner said, sitting down on a stool as Annie sat on the desk in front of him, "You think it would've been better if we were born human instead?"

"Who knows?" Annie remarked, "I'm just glad that Bertholdt's happy again, thanks to you,"

Reiner smiled absently when he looked to Bertholdt's sleeping form, "If there's only one thing in this world that I'm good at, that's making Bertholdt happy," He reached over to him, brushing at his hair with the back of his finger, "Whatever happens tomorrow, know that I'm forever grateful to you for saving us. And, that I'm sorry for failing the mission,"

"Same to you," Annie said, heading out the tent. She paused before lifting the tent flap, looking over to Reiner till he made eye contact with her, "Tomorrow, when you wake up, come find me. You and Bertholdt, okay?"

Reiner nodded back silently. With a forced, sad smile and a quick nod, Annie turned and left.

None of them wanted to die. It was evident in Bertholdt's troubled face as he slept, Reiner's downcast eyes, and Annie's reluctance to leave the tent. There was nothing they could do about it in a situation like this. As warriors and soldiers, it was their duty to accept their fate. Annie eventually did depart and Bertholdt did eventually calm down. Reiner needed just a bit more before he could fully accept his execution.

He left the tent, ignoring the guards that were now stationed there to keep watch over them, walking into the main researchers' area. He stepped into the largest tent of the bunch, sweeping the flap aside, "Hanji!" He called out.

The scientist soldier, huddled over the desk with fragmented chunks of titan fossil in her hands, looked to him with a bizarre magnification contraption over her face, "Oh hello there, what brings you to my tent?"

"There's just some things I want to know," Reiner replied, walking to her side when she continued to tinker with the fossils with her tools.

"Ask away," Hanji replied, setting her magnification goggles aside and sliding a few confidential Garrison letters under her books, as she looked to him.

"For these last few days, why didn't you lock us up or torture us?" Reiner asked, stern and serious contrasting Hanji's usual airiness, "Even if you are nothing like the Military police, you know we're criminals who have done horrible things, right?"

The airiness Reiner had noted before was slowly seeping away, leaving behind a seriousness as Hanji spoke, "I know. I just can't find it in my heart to hate you," Absently, she played with a fragment of fossil, tossing it up and down with on hand, "It's just like the titans. I couldn't find it in my heart to hate the titans because they're just doing what was part of their nature. It's the same for you. The nature of a soldier is to kill the enemy,"

Reiner couldn't really buy her words. Even if she felt no malice, "What about the other soldiers? They hated the titans regardless of whatever you said. Didn't they want us tortured?"

"Of course they did," Hanji replied, "I would have obeyed them if it would boost morale. Someone else's word superseded theirs though,"

Reiner raised a brow, saying the name of the only person he knew would've been merciful enough, "Krista?" Granted, she wasn't particularly high-ranking or influential. The only reason she would have an authority over the people would be through...

"Ymir," Hanji corrected, "She asked me to show you, Bertholdt, and Annie mercy for at least these three days. Given her position as  one of the saviours of humanity, her command overrode the rest of the soldiers,"

Reiner was astounded. Beyond astounded, he was utterly and completely lost for words. He had hoped talking with Hanji would clear his mind. Instead, it just made him even _more_ hungry for answers. He barely slipped out a 'goodbye' before rushing out of the tent and into the soldier campsite. He remembered Ymir's tent being second-closest to the bonfire. First-closest was Krista's, obviously a gift from Ymir.

He didn't bother knocking, a bad habit of his, as Reiner pulled the tent flap open and stepped in, "Ymir?" The tent was empty, surprisingly. He was just about to leave before a swift kick was delivered square in the middle of his back. Reiner let out a strangled cry as he fell forward and into the dirt.

"What do you think you're doing here?" Ymir asked, stepping on his back with a playful amount of pressure, "Spying on girls again? Cheating on Bertholdt?"

Reiner sputtered for a second, spitting out the dirt he had accidentally swallowed when he fell. He rolled onto his back, sitting on the ground briefly before standing back up, "I wanted to ask you something,"

"Ask me what?" Ymir replied, "Make it quick. You're interrupting my 'History' lesson,"

Whatever she meant by that, Reiner disregarded it and asked, "Why did you ask Hanji to be kind to us?" Ymir didn't looked surprised by his question. She was probably expecting this given their less-than-stable relationship.

"It's nothing personal," Ymir said with a shrug, "It's just that looking at you and Bertholdt made me think, if you guys had won the war and it was Historia and I in your position, I would have done the same to protect her," She shrugged again, "It felt right,"

Reiner sighed, _of course_ this would be the reason. Ymir hated him even before his reveal, "Right, thanks for that," Reiner replied, patting her shoulder before leaving the tent.

"Hey!" Ymir called out to him before he left the area, "I still hate you man, don't forget that,"

Reiner looked to her over his shoulder seeing just a touch of sympathy on her face, "Likewise," Reiner left, not bothering to look back as Ymir waved to him. With his mind cleared, Reiner returned to Bertholdt's tent. Even without the Military Police camping at the sickbay, Reiner still felt the duty to stay with Bertholdt throughout the night. He sat by the bed on a stool, leaning forward to rest his arms and chin on the mattress.

"I wish I could have saved you," Reiner whispered as he weaved his fingers through Bertholdt's hair. Reiner could remember how he lost his way, how he forgot about their mission, how he forgot about himself. But Bertholdt, Bertholdt was his constant. He was his beacon through humanity's fog. No matter what happened to Reiner, Bertholdt would always be there waiting for him.

Reiner gripped his hand close, pressing the back of Bertholdt's hand to his lips, "I promise I'll become your beacon in the next life." Bertholdt let out breathy sigh from the touch before rolling onto his side to face Reiner.

Curling up beside Bertholdt's head, Reiner shut his eyes and fell asleep, ready for his execution tomorrow.

_"Reiner!" Bertholdt shouted, running aimlessly through the darkness. What was he looking for? Where was he going? "Reiner!" He shouted again, "Ah!" He cried out as he was knocked off his feet by a sudden gust of air. He coughed as dirt entered his lungs, rolling over onto his hands and knees before a titanic armored foot fell to the ground right in front of him, "Reiner..."_

_His eyes scanned upwards, seeing Reiner in all of his titan glory. However,_ his eyes _, his eyes were wrong. They were unfocused and wild, giving off an almost demonic yellow glow. He let out a animalistic roar so loud that it may have caused damage if Bertholdt didn't cover his ears and duck his head to the ground. Tucked to the ground, Bertholdt could feel Reiner dash ahead, roaring wildly and tearing apart the soldiers in his way. Bertholdt could tell what they were from the sound of 3DM and their anguished, human cries of death._

_The ground shook with every step Reiner took, every soldier was crushed beneath his feet. Bertholdt had to stop him or else Reiner would lose his mind, "Reiner!" He cried out again, forcing himself to his feet and charging into the open dirt. There was no one else there, not even a spot of carnage on the ground._

_Reiner heard his cries. Slowly, he turned to face him letting out heavy breaths of hot steam. He was still berserk, Bertholdt could tell. Bertholdt suppressed his scream when Reiner charged at him with no intent to stop. The impact of his feet against the dirt could have shattered the earth, could have rendered Bertholdt a bloody mist._

_Bertholdt forced himself to stand his ground. He was never going to fear Reiner. In his heart, he knew Reiner would never want to hurt him. He knew Reiner loved him. He just needed a push sometimes, a reminder, a beacon._

_Bertholdt reached his arms out, smiling to Reiner, "Come back to me,"_

_Looming in his shadow with Reiner towering over him panting out heavy breaths of steam, Bertholdt knew he made the right choice._

An ear-shattering explosion sent Bertholdt flying off the bed and tumbling into Reiner. He quickly spat out the dirt that flew into his mouth, coughing harder when he accidentally inhaled more. He flinched when a cloth was pressed over his mouth, still terrified by any touch, "Breathe through this," Reiner's calming voice helped him through it though. He looked to Reiner, utterly confused from what was happening.

"Advance!" That deep male voice must've been Irvin. His arrival must've sparked the war.

"Sounds like a war," Reiner muttered through his shirt which was pulled up over his nose. He helped Bertholdt up, holding onto his hand firmly as they moved out of the tent, "Holy shit..." Reiner gasped. They thought after seeing years of humans and titan ripping each other apart, the sight of humans killing humans would be easy to stomach. Instead, it made both of them sick, sick of this insane contradiction of nature. After a decisive victory against the titans, after earning their freedom, the humans choose to use their newfound liberty to devour one another.

Reiner carefully tucked Bertholdt under his arm as a shower of gunfire was heard. That must have been the Military Police, countering the Survey Corps high manoeuvrability and battle skill with firearms. Something was... off, however. The majority of the incapacitated bodies were of the Survey Corps, not of the Military Police or Garrison. He would have thought that the battle-hardened Survey Corps would have the greater advantage. It became clear that the skill to cut down titans did not translate well into human warfare. On top of that, the sickbay was constructed in an open field which rendered all of their 3DM gear useless. From afar, Reiner could hear Hanji screaming at the researchers, commanding them to escort as many patients as they could.

The Survey Corps were going to lose. The Military Police was going to take them back.

They had to escape. There was no choice, "I'm going to get us some gear," Reiner whispered to Bertholdt, lowering him into an evacuated tent. He snuck over to a pair of dead soldiers, one of them shot in the head and the other blasted beyond recognition by a shower of shots. He removed their gear as quickly as he could, accidentally tearing one thigh strap in his panic.

As soon as he bundled up both gears, he carried them over to the tent, "Put this on," He said, quickly strapping his own set on with shaking hands. He looked to Bertholdt, who struggled to even unbuckle the chest strap, "Hurry!" He accidentally hissed at him. Bertholdt let out a fearful whimper before his hands quickened over the gear. Reiner didn't mean to startle him. He was just desperate to give them a fighting chance in escape.

With his own gear own, Reiner quickly moved over to Bertholdt and helped him fasten his straps on. He eyes darted over to their propeller sheaths: A full set of blades for both. Neither of these soldiers got a chance to fight before they were shot out of the sky.

"Is it on?" Reiner asked, patting over Bertholdt's body. Bertholdt nodded quickly in response, taking his hand again before both of them left the tent and ran. With the gear on, from far away, they could have been mistaken for Survey Corps soldiers. Reiner didn't know if that was for the best or not.

He was about to cut through the showers and towards the river until he remembered something Annie said to him. She told him to go find her before their execution. _No..._ She said to go find her _when they woke up_. It seemed odd to him then not to mention their execution but he dismissed it as Annie's aloofness. In fact, she was actually quite aware of this war happening. She was one of the catalysts after all. Putting the pieces together, Annie must've had a plan.

Bertholdt shook him out of his thought, pulling his arm and nodding towards a brigade of Garrison soldiers who were running by. Reiner nodded to him and pulled him behind a tent, "We need to find Annie," Bertholdt nodded back without hesitation. Whether or not it was true, he'd never leave Annie behind without reason.

The two made their way back to the high security area. As expected, the area had been cleared except for the few hazardous patients that could not be moved. No soldiers came this way. It was clear that the Military Police and sheltered Garrison soldiers still feared titans to an extent, enough to leave this place alone.

To hide from an approaching crowd of soldiers, Reiner and Bertholdt dove into a medical tent, accidentally knowing over a rack of chemicals. Bertholdt covered his eyes as the chemicals splattered onto the ground and rose in an acidic mist, "Damn it," Reiner hissed, covering his face with his shirt again as he pulled Bertholdt up.

"Good morning," Annie said to them, looking just as surprised to see them here in the tent.

"Annie? What are you doing in here?" Reiner asked, brushing off Bertholdt's clothes dotingly, "What is this place? Some sort of chem lab?"

"Preparing," She replied tossing away an empty syringe. She took Reiner's arm, pulling over to the back of the tent and lifting the flap, "This is going to be risky but as long as there's two of us, we should be able to make it through,"

Reiner glanced over to Bertholdt shortly after. There are three of them, what was Annie talking about? "What do you mean by that?"

A flash of surreal light and sudden heat froze all of them in their spots. It was way too close to be a coincidence. Before they could even react, a fist came down on the tent, nearly crushing them had they not rolled to the ground. The tent was torn right out from the ground and tossed aside like a used rag. Eren's titan form in all of his magnificence stood over them growling like a predatory beast.

"This is the worst," Annie growled under her breath, running to the side trying to get his attention. Instead, Eren turned towards Reiner and Bertholdt, shocking them still with his howl. As much harm as Annie had done to the military, it was Reiner and Bertholdt who took away Eren's family, crippling his mind forever.

Eren slammed at the dirt with all his strength. His strike only barely missing Bertholdt and Reiner as they dove into separate directions. Reiner rolled to his feet quickly. Bertholdt was not quite as lucky, the shockwave of the strike and impact of the fall reawakened his wounds. The pain incapacitated him and left him an open target. He could do nothing but cower in the shadows as Eren towered over him. He could _feel_ his hot breath against his skin.

"Let him go!" Reiner shouted, firing his 3DM gear into Eren's side and reeling himself in, poised to strike with his swords. Without even looking, Eren reached behind and grabbed Reiner in mid air. There was no mercy in his attacks. Instantly, he squeezed, ready to burst Reiner like water balloon. Reiner screamed, feeling his ribs crush under his grip.

Reiner thought the last thing he would ever hear was Eren's animalistic growl. Instead, another growl rang through his ears as Annie slashed through Eren's arm with a crystallized kick. Reiner plummeted to the ground, desperately catching his breath and gripping at his ribs. He'd need to regenerate them before he could move. Bertholdt ran to his side, scooping him up into his arms and staring at him with worry and panic.

"I'm fine," Reiner muttered back, sitting himself up slowly with one hand against his ribs.

Both of them turned to Eren and Annie, the last remaining titan shifters in this city. As battle-hardened Annie was from childhood, it was clear that Eren would outclass her. She had spent a year dormant while Eren spent the year honing his skills, turning into a beast that could hold his ground against the armored titan and the colossal titan at the same time. She couldn't run, she couldn't win. The fact that she was still putting up a fight was desperate and almost too hard to watch.

It was over before Annie could even deliver a single blow. Eren caught her arm, ripping it off effortlessly before grasping onto her head with his teeth and tearing it clean off. He roared victoriously, grasping onto her shoulders and ready to sink his teeth into the cockpit. He paused for just a split second. Reiner and Bertholdt both caught it but didn't understand why.

He saw Annie still partially connected to her titan body pointing a pistol at him. It took him just a moment to register what this meant but he didn't have time to back away, "Fall, Eren," She muttered before shooting him with an anti-titan bullet.

It didn't matter where the bullet landed. Eren reeled back immediately, screaming so loud that his human voice could be heard through the titan's scream. Annie backed away with her remaining strength, collapsing her titan and stepping away from the steam. Eren continued to thrash wildly, his titan flesh looking like it was dissolving away.

"Good job," Reiner muttered weakly, still trying to recover.

"It's nothing," She replied, stepping away as she reloaded her pistol, "Bertholdt, stand back for a moment," Under her commands, Bertholdt crawled away from Reiner and watched, "I need you to take a gamble with me, Rein-"

A blade sticking through Annie's throat was all they saw. A splatter of blood over Reiner and Bertholdt, morbid chunks of flesh and cloth littering the grass, and a pistol loaded with a single bullet was all that remained. Reiner trembled in fear, looking at his blood soaked self. At the sight of a single golden hair resting on his left hand, he screamed out in terror.

 Bertholdt was utterly emotionless. The fear, sadness, anger, guilt, self-disgust mixed itself together and cancelled out everything. He was numb and his expression reflected it. Absently, he reached out towards where Annie stood trying to grasp at _anything_ that could have proven that Annie once stood where that stain was. All he could do was take the pistol into his hands, nestling it close to his chest as he wept into it.

 _My speciality is cutting meat_.

Mikasa stepped through the carnage, blades fresh with blood from Annie and every other soldier she had taken down. She was nothing less of a monster more terrifying than the titans. Reiner mentally scolded himself; he knew Annie would've done the same. When facing Eren, it was a critical error to think that Mikasa would not be close behind.

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

Mikasa barely had time to block as Bertholdt rushed at her, slashing down with both his swords. The look on his face with almost demonic if not for the tears streaming down his face. His rage muffled away his pain like a potent anaesthesia. He continued to slash at her without mercy, eyes wild with anger.

Alone, Bertholdt or Reiner would stand no chance against her. But now, the second and third best trainee soldiers versus the first best, this would even up the odds. Reiner got to his feet and charged Mikasa from behind. His wounds had not yet fully regenerated but with Bertholdt's life on the line and Annie's blood on the floor, he forced himself to fight.

Bertholdt kept Mikasa pinned, using a flurry of swift strikes to prevent her from manoeuvring properly. He stayed in the front, distracting her. Reiner attacked from behind using powerful debilitating blows that would incapacitate her with a single strike. Even when Mikasa tried to escape, using her 3DM gear to pull herself away, Reiner and Bertholdt chased after her and continued to pin her down with their strategy.

In a desperate move, Mikasa tried to escape by latching herself onto two trees and shooting herself into the air like a slingshot. Escaping in the air was her downfall. After all, while Mikasa excelled at all areas, Bertholdt was the overall best at 3D maneuver. He chased her into the air, catching her off guard when he tumbled over her in mid-air and delivering a devastating downward strike at her back. She didn't scream when she was struck or when she fell or even when Reiner followed up with a slash across her stomach that she barely deflected.

Even with the decisive handicap, Mikasa fended off their fatal blows, reducing a slice to her jugular to a shoulder wound, stabbed gut into a pierced side. When she finally burned out, she slumped against a tree, clothing dyed completely red by her own blood. Bertholdt and Reiner stood before her, clutching onto their swords.

"I'll do it," Reiner said, stepping forward and lifting his sword.

Mikasa glared at them. With the devil's strength, Mikasa lifted herself off the tree and slashed down on Reiner. He blocked the blade but the sheer force she exerted was enough to force him to his knees. He struggled, gritting his teeth as he tried to hold her back, "Bertholdt!"

"Stop!" Armin's voice cut through the forest. He pushed through the bushes and stepped in front of Bertholdt, "Don't do this. Please!" Bertholdt had no heart left for mercy. Annie's murderer would die, nothing would change this. Armin grabbed Bertholdt's arm, restraining him despite feeling the dangerous aura emitting from Bertholdt, "Don't make Jean suffer anymore,"

Reiner froze at his words. Even when Mikasa backed away, her adrenaline rush all burned out, Reiner stayed in his position, "What?" Bertholdt took that as a prompt to back down. He lowered his sword and stepped back, taking deep heaving breaths to calm himself down.

"You left Jean back there after he helped you out," Armin said in a solemn voice, "They're making him take Bertholdt's place, torturing him endlessly. How could you do this to him?"

Jean...beaten, tortured, raped all because he had a heart and chose to save Bertholdt? The amount of guilt weighing on Reiner was overwhelming... yet familiar. This exploitation of his guilt, he had experienced this before. That day, when they had captured Eren and nearly returned home, Armin said a similar thing. He blamed them for leaving Annie behind and subjecting her to ingenious torture. He attacked them psychologically when he knew he couldn't fight them physically. Just as he was doing now.

Armin was in the Survey Corps this whole time. He was Irvin's messenger which meant that he was within Wall Maria during their escape. Unless someone mentioned it to him now, which was highly unlikely given the state of affairs, Armin wouldn't have any way to know if Jean was getting tortured. He assumed it was Jean that helped him, deducing it from how Jean was the only one who was drafted into the Survey Corps and how Reiner would have never succeeded alone. Reiner remembered the pistol had had received from Jean, no doubt there must've been some Military Police emblem emblazoned on it somewhere. It seemed odd to him that he'd allow Annie to carry a pistol around unless he was trying to bluff out who gave it to her.

Fool me once, shame on you, "What about Jean?" Reiner replied in a cocky tone. Armin swallowed hard, began to sweat, and Reiner knew he won the bluff.

The sound of shouts close by alerted Bertholdt and Reiner immediately. Armin had distracted them for too long and now backup had arrived, "We have to go," He saw Bertholdt's eyes dart over to Mikasa, "Now!" He grabbed Bertholdt around the waist, hauling him up as he fired his 3DM gear into the trees and reeled them forward.

Bertholdt understood soon enough, pushing on ahead trying to outrun the soldiers that were no doubt still chasing them. There was no margin for error. A single slip-up and they'd fall right into the soldiers hands. Everything Annie had done, Annie's death, would have been for nothing.

That single belief pushed them past their rage, pushed them through the endless forest, pushed them up the wall, and finally over it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One thing I really tried to convey with this chapter is that Reiner is awful at judging people.


	3. Wall Maria

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry that this took so much longer than it did. Thank you to anyone who still hung onto this fic even after the huge hiatus!
> 
> During Chapter 3, I ran into writer's block and I had hoped that I could get more ideas when Bertholdt and Reiner returned in the manga. Unfortunately, neither have made any appearances since those few chapters so I was at a stand-still. Then I eventually moved onto a new fandom, things happened, but regardless, I'm very sorry for leaving it hanging for so long.
> 
> I'll save my comments on this chapter at the very end so I don't accidentally spoil anything. Enjoy!

They assumed that the civil war occurring at that moment was what caused their pursuers to stop. The moment they made it down the other side of the wall, they couldn't hear a single 3DM gear chase after them. For a moment, Reiner was worried about their gas supply. Taking that whole trek through the trees at full speed drained all of their fuel leaving them defenceless to any titan attack.

To their surprise, the humans had already began claiming back land, most of them farmers eager to claim a piece of land back for crops and goods. They hadn't run into a single titan since they landed on the open land. This gave them just enough time to bury their gear in the dirt. It'd be recognizable on sight if they ran into a soldier and anyone would be suspicious of a pair of ragged civilians leaving with Military arms.

"When we get to a town or something, we need to get some new clothes," Reiner explained the plan, "Horses would be nice too. We may have to work a bit to make some cash. I doubt anyone would recognize us," No response, "Bertl?" Still nothing.

He turned to his friend, breaking his heart when he saw Bertholdt clutching onto Annie's pistol and still crying.

"Bertholdt..." Reiner murmured, stopping and pressing a hand to his shoulder.

"She's gone..." Bertholdt whispered through the tears, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, "If I wasn't so weak, she wouldn't have had to die like that," Death without honour, without a grave, not even with a body left behind.

"Bertholdt, listen to me," Reiner took his shoulders, shaking him just a bit to get his attention, "We need to somewhere to rest first. If we don't replenish our supplies, we're done for. Annie wouldn't have wanted her death to be for nothing. She would have wanted us to live,"

Bertholdt could only cry harder but he nodded regardless. He put the pistol away in his tattered jacket, taking Reiner's hand and letting him lead both of them towards a distant settlement.

To say that it was a village was a large stretch. There were only a few buildings, most of them communal living quarters. There was a single store that acted like a supply stock. To their surprise, there was a stable of horses, no doubt an emergency supply in case they were overwhelmed by titans. The entire settlement was surrounded by sandbags and watchmen. Of all the guards, only a few of them were from the military. The rest were plain villagers taking up the mantle of shooting down titans should they approach. With the lack of clear communication within Wall Rose, Reiner knew that this would work to their advantage.

He snatched up some clothing he found on a clothesline, quickly dressing and tossing away their bloody clothes. Bertholdt looked clearly discomforted by the unfamiliar, damp clothing, "Sorry, that's the best I could do," Reiner replied, taking his hand again before walking him into the village.

The 'hotel' they stayed at used to be the town hall. It had been flimsily rebuilt into one giant room. Settlers would all rest together in this single room which meant little privacy for anyone, "Your name? So I can put it down," The hotel keeper said, "It's a military practice but I doubt we'll ever need it,"

"Berik," Reiner replied.

The man scribbled it down on the sign in sheet, "Alright, enjoy your stay," The keeper handed them a stack of blankets, courtesy of his 'hotel'.

Stepping over the people sleeping on the ground, Reiner pulled Bertholdt up a ladder and onto the reinforced drafters on the ceiling right in front of a high window. This gave them a vantage point for checking if soldiers were coming in. They situated themselves in a corner, laying down one blanket to sit on.

The two sat in silence for a bit. Reiner looking over to see Bertholdt constantly taking out the pistol and tinkering with it. He reached out at one point, clutching the gun and his hand, "Careful. You'll shoot out your foot," Bertholdt nodded back weakly, placing the pistol on the ground before reclining on the blanket. Reiner followed after him, laying beside him on his side to watch his unstable expression, "You should rest. Your body still hasn't recovered and you've been moving all day,"

"I can't sleep," Bertholdt replied, scratching at a reopened wound on his chest.

Given the amount of physical and psychological damage inflicted upon Bertholdt and the amount of activity he had done in these few hours, fighting Mikasa, hi-speed maneuver through a forest, Reiner was surprised that he hadn't already passed out. Misery kept him awake and refused to let him shut his eyes and have peace in unconsciousness.

Reiner continued to watch him stare at the ceiling emotionlessly, "You did great out there. Really," He said, "If it were just me, I wouldn't have stood a chance against Mikasa," No response from Bertholdt, "You know, you always said you were weak even back when we were training. That's not true at all. When you let loose, you're stronger than all of us,"

"Please stop," Bertholdt whispered weakly, turning on his side away from Reiner. He had enough of Reiner patronizing him especially after such a dire moment of their lives.

Reiner paused, eventually laying back on his back, "Right," He replied before shutting his eyes. Despite his suggestion to Bertholdt, he too had trouble sleeping. There was just too much to think about. He couldn't afford to think of the past, think about Annie's last moments and the civil war raging on their behalf. Right now, he had to think of how to survive. When Reiner first came to Wall Sina, he didn't even have a plan in mind. He just wanted to grab Bertholdt and go. Perhaps he never thought he would succeed so he kept himself from formulating a plan since it would inevitably lead to his downfall. He never dreamed he'd end up outside Wall Rose and now here he was, armed with the barest of gear flanked by an angry military and voracious titans.

He truly wanted to say 'If Annie were here, things would be better'. He couldn't afford it though, couldn't afford dwelling on fantasies when reality had become so difficult to comprehend.

It took hours for Reiner to finally fall asleep. He couldn't tell if Bertholdt was resting or not. He remained on his side deathly silent for the entire night. Early in the morning, Reiner left the hotel and retrieved their gear. If they were to survive, they needed money and pawning their 3DM gear was the best option they had. He pawned his own set to the general store owner, claiming that he had found the gear in nearby ruins. The store owner said nothing of it, merely exchanging the gear for a hefty amount of coin. Given the amount of metal work he found at the general store, he could only assume that this was a common occurrence.

He didn't pawn Bertholdt's gear. In the worst case scenario, they should keep one set whether to escape from soldiers or attack titans. After leaving the general store with a fresh bundle of clothes with Bertholdt's gear wrapped up and hidden as a sleeping bag, Reiner returned to the hotel to see Bertholdt sitting up and hugging his knees. From the circles under his eyes and the redness in them, Reiner could tell that Bertholdt hadn't slept a wink.

"You're up," Reiner said, sitting down next to him, "I got your gear," He added as he placed the bundle by his side. Bertholdt nodded back in response, eyes unable to meet Reiner's, "I got us some new clothes too," He laid out the set he bought: A simple green tunic with beige, woolen pants for himself and a blue sweater with black trousers for Bertholdt similar to his usual casual wear.

As soon as the two changed into the fresh clothing, frighteningly silent as they did so, Reiner sat back down next to Bertholdt and explained himself, "So, I pawned my own set for a bit of money. I think it's enough for a horse. Might be hard for us to share though, since we're both pretty heavy," He smiled a bit, trying to coax some reaction from Bertholdt. When nothing happened, Reiner took Bertholdt's hand and pulled gently, "Hey, we should grab something to eat. There should be enough money left over for a meal."

Bertholdt complied by standing up but did nothing else. Reiner took the gear over his shoulders, not wanting to burden Bertholdt with the extra weight.

They took a seat in the local canteen, a shambling shack with a makeshift kitchen most likely installed to act as a pit stop for soldiers. The food was cheap, luckily, and made from fresh produce gathered from the garden in the back. Bertholdt took a seat in the corner far away from the door while Reiner ordered their food at the main counter.

"I don't think I've eaten fresh vegetables since our training days," Reiner commented as he sat in front of Bertholdt with two bowls of fresh vegetable soup, "Is your stomach alright?" He remembered that the soft bay had to give him softer foods in order for him to digest it properly. Bertholdt nodded back absently as he took a spoonful of soup. Reiner nodded back to him though he wasn't sure if Bertholdt noticed. He took his own spoon and started eating his soup, "It's pretty good. I'm surprised. But I guess anything after a diet of military provisions is pretty good," No response. Bertholdt's continued silence was beginning to unnerve Reiner.

After a while, Bertholdt stopped eating and placed his spoon down. Reiner continued to eat his soup, looking up at him occasionally to see if he'd continue. When it was clear that Bertholdt was done, Reiner took a spoonful of Bertholdt's soup and held it to his lips, "Say ah," He said with a small smile, trying to coerce Bertholdt into doing _something_. When that failed, Reiner knew he had to try harder, "You need your strength. If we plan on leaving tonight, this might be the last full meal we can get," There was just a slight twitch in Bertholdt's brow. Reiner always knew what that meant. It was when he felt _annoyed_ but was too meek to admit it, "If you don't eat, you'll die," Reiner said a bit more forcefully, "Annie wouldn't want that,"

A quiet sob came from Bertholdt. He turned away briefly, biting on his lip and shutting his eyes before turning back to Reiner and swallowing the spoonful of soup. Spoonful by spoonful, Reiner fed Bertholdt his soup, practically forcing it into his mouth when Bertholdt would pull back. By the time he was done, Bertholdt looked uncomfortably troubled and Reiner's own soup had gone cold. Reiner knew this wasn't like that time in the deserted village where Bertholdt's stomach pains prevented him from eating. Bertholdt refused to eat out of choice.

"What do you want to do when we get out of Wall Maria?" Reiner asked as he went back to his own soup. As expected, Bertholdt said nothing outside of a lazy shrug, "I'm thinking we'll need to live underground. You know, maybe we can build a little underground hideout. We can start a garden on the surface and come out when we need food. Maybe even a farm too, since titans don't attack animals," He paused to chew on a fresh carrot in his soup. Fresh vegetables really were far tastier than the dried fruit provisions they were given as soldiers, "Or maybe we can live in the trees. Something like a tree house,"

He'd do anything to make Bertholdt speak to him. He was afraid that if he didn't, Bertholdt would waste away on the inside leaving him nothing but an empty husk. Reiner scolded himself mentally but he knew one topic that would always make Bertholdt react, "I bet Annie had a plan," Bertholdt's eyes fell upon him in an unsettling manner, "I think right from the start, she was thinking of a way to get us out of the Sickbay. She was so secretive though. I didn't even realize it till the very end,"

"Shut up," Bertholdt whispered, "Please stop talking about Annie,"

Reiner was taken aback. Bertholdt would never speak like this to anyone, "It's just something to think about," He was starting to fear that his attempts to prod Bertholdt into opening up had only made their relationship worse.

"I don't want to talk," Bertholdt grumbled, "I don't want to do _anything_. If it wasn't for me..."

"It isn't your fault," Reiner replied quickly, reaching out to Bertholdt's hand only for the taller man to retract, "I don't blame you. Neither would Ann-"

"Stop talking about Annie!" Bertholdt shouted, startling everyone in the canteen.

"Bertholdt?" A slightly accented female voice called out from the canteen, "Oh my god, you both escaped?"

Reiner turned cautiously to see Sasha behind him fully dressed in her soldier uniform covered in a multitude of injuries. Bertholdt looked away, swallowing and hiding his face in his arms, "Sasha, if you're here to bring us back..." Reiner hissed as he stood from his table. He reached for the sleeping bag but paused when he noticed something strange. There was no way they'd send a single soldier after them unless it was Levi. The look in Sasha's eyes as well, fearful and nearly feral like she had just endured a hellish chase, made Reiner rethink his course of action.

"Sasha, did you desert?" Reiner asked.

Sasha was already in tears by the time she nodded back. With her left arm in a sling, she used the back of her right hand to wipe away her tears, "It's horrible, Reiner. Worse than the titans, way worse than the titans. They're killing each other in there,"

To see the airheaded, light-hearted Sasha bawling her eyes out broke Reiner's heart, "The civil war?"

Sasha nodded in reply, still wiping her tears, "Everyone's dying in there. And those who get captured alive... I couldn't take it."

"Who was winning?" Reiner asked.

"I don't know," She replied, still crying hard, "My father said that humans are animals that survive in groups. But that's not true at all!"

Out of pity and relief that she was not a threat, Reiner sat her down in his seat in front of Bertholdt and quickly ordered a meal for her. Despite her grief, she was still Sasha and she wolfed down the food even through her tears.

"Is there anyone else with you?" Reiner asked, pulling up a third chair between Sasha and Bertholdt.

Sasha nodded briefly, "Yeah. Another Survey Corps soldier. He's probably putting the horses away."

As much as he was meant to hate the humans, Reiner couldn't help but feel responsible for all this suffering. There were a million ways this war could have been avoided if he had just given himself in. His desperation to save Bertholdt wound up sending the city into a spiral of war. In a strange twist, they had inadvertently succeeded in their mission, making mankind collapse on itself.

"Where are you going to go now?" Reiner asked.

Sasha shrugged, "Don't know. Where were you planning to go with Bertholdt?"

Bertholdt didn't even twitch at her words. His eyes merely drifted to Reiner who returned the glance before looking back at Sasha, "Who knows. Maybe we'll dig ourselves an underground hideout, start a farm on the surface. Titans don't attack animals after all so we could just leave them outside."

"Hey, that's actually a pretty good idea. Wouldn't have to share all that meat with other people," Sasha replied, looking like herself for the first time since they met.

Reiner chuckled back, glad to be in the company of someone who finally responds to him, "I'll have to dig it extra deep though or else Bertl will keep bumping his head on the ceiling," He nudged Bertholdt's arm, trying to get some reaction from him. Instead he averted his eyes and turned just the slightest bit away.

"Is he okay?" Sasha asked before wolfing down a piece of bread.

"He's not well," Reiner replied. Given Sasha's reaction, she must not have heard about the true extent of Bertholdt's punishment from the capital.

She reached forward and pat Bertholdt's back, smiling to him awkwardly in an attempt to look friendly, "Hey, I got a good idea," Sasha said, "Why don't you come with me?"

Her foolish suggestion was met with baffled expressions from both Reiner _and_ Bertholdt. Reiner scoffed, almost laughing as he turned to Bertholdt who took on a distressed expression instead, "Are you serious? We're criminals. Hell, we're _titans_."

"I'm a criminal too now," Sasha replied, "And if we're going to get out of here, we need to work together. And so what if you're titans? I mean..." She looked down for just a moment, a bit of sorrow glazing over her eyes, "After everything that has happened, titans aren't so bad at all," Disillusioned by this cruel world, Sasha would even ally herself with humanity's enemies.

Reiner looked to Bertholdt, trying to prompt him into talking. Bertholdt shrugged back. As usual, he deferred his opinion to Reiner. With such few options and so many ways to fail, Reiner really had no choice, "Alright. Let's travel together!"

Sasha nodded back, "We'll need two more horses for you guys though," She sorted through her jacket pockets, taking out a measly handful of gold coins, "I guess we can hang around a bit and make money."

"Or, we could steal the horses?" Reiner suggested playfully.

"That's immoral. You can't do that," Sasha replied with a genuinely astonished face.

Reiner responded with an equally astonished face, "You're a deserter and I'm a terrorist. And you're telling me stealing horses is immoral?"

"I guess when you put it like that," Sasha crossed her arms, pondering as she looked to the ceiling, "I don't know. It still doesn't seem right,"

Reiner could do nothing but laugh. Sasha was a breath of fresh, innocent, naive air that he desperately needed after surviving through these grueling days, "Alright, alright. We'll make some money first," It revealed something else about Sasha: She didn't care for legal definitions of good and bad; she acted on what she believed was right.

"I'll go check on my partner. You might want to lay low. There'll be other deserters, I'm sure of it."

"And not all of them so ready to accept titans into their team?"

Sasha nodded back, standing from her seat, "Meet you for breakfast tomorrow?" Reiner shot her a playful salute. She saluted back, completely messing up the gesture with her lazy arm movement before turning to the exit, wiping her mouth with a handkerchief from her pocket.

When she left, Reiner turned to Bertholdt with a pleasant expression, "I'm glad we have another ally. We might actually make it out of here,"

Bertholdt's dead eyes and stone-cold expression scared the hell out of Reiner. He swallowed at the sight, nearly leaping to his feet in fear, "Bertl?" He tore away shortly after, his expression fading back into neutrality, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Bertholdt whispered back before standing.

Bertholdt followed behind his friend as they exited the canteen, searching for a quick way to make money. Reiner chose to remain silent, afraid that his words would break the fragile peace between them. The last thing he wanted was for Bertholdt to be miserable again.

Luckily, work was easy to find in the settlement. It was located in a former city district which meant there were plenty of ruined buildings to repair and buried supplies to recover. With help from Sasha, the head construction worker being a former member of her clan, Bertholdt and Reiner were quickly put to work as salvagers clearing out rubble for later construction.

"Thanks, you're a life saver," Reiner called out to Sasha when she walked by with a loaf of bread in her mouth. The girl waved back to him before stepping into the next building where she was assigned.

The work was tedious but paid well enough. Reiner figured just a week or two and they'd have enough to buy two horses. He looked over to Bertholdt, watching him stack loose planks of wood on the side, "Bertl, when we get out of here, what do you want to do first?" His attempts to make small talk with Bertholdt were failing as usual since they escaped Wall Rose, "I guess we both have a pretty good idea of woodwork now. Maybe we'll be in charge of building? Sasha said she'd handle the animals and crops. Granted, I don't exactly know how reliable she is," He laughed a bit, swallowing when he noticed that Bertholdt was still ignoring him.

The entire day was filled with this forced one-sided dialogue. Reiner was beginning to wonder if people outside were thinking that Reiner had lost his mind and started talking to himself. He needed a reprieve badly so he ended up inviting Sasha and her companion to dinner. The four of them sat at a table, three of them lost in small talk, one of them silent as a statue.

Reiner desperately tried to pull Bertholdt into the conversation. Every now and then he nudge his shoulder with a 'Right, Bertholdt?' only to be responded with a half-hearted nod or fully ignored.

It had been an awkward but nonetheless enjoyable dinner. The group hadn't even dispersed yet before Reiner finally asked, "What's going on?" When Bertholdt ignored him, Reiner grabbed his arm and turned him to face him, "Answer me!" He was startled when he saw Bertholdt tried to struggle away. He didn't loosen his grip though, afraid that he'd slip right out of his hands, "Bertl, talk to me. All of us are here for you," He gestured to the three of them.

Bertholdt's eyes only quickly scanned Sasha and her companion before falling back to Reiner. There was no doubt that something hateful was raging inside him. With one powerful pull, Bertholdt tore himself free and ran.

"Bertholdt!" Sasha called out, looking to Reiner, wondering if she should chase after him.

"Let him go," Reiner replied, "I think he needs some cool down time. A lot has happened to him,"

Sasha was clearly reluctant but gave in at the end. She retired to the tent she had set up right behind the hotel. Reiner returned to the wooden drafters, sitting up against the walls waiting for Bertholdt. He refused to doze off until Bertholdt was safely back and if midnight came, Reiner would go out and search for him.

A creaking ladder alerted Reiner of Bertholdt's approach, "Hey," Reiner replied, waving a bit.

Bertholdt cast his eyes downward as he came over, laying on the blanket on his side and shutting his eyes, "Goodnight," He forced his eyes shut, curling up just a bit to fake his sleep. He jumped just a bit when he felt a warm pair of lips press against his cheek. Reiner's hands were on his shoulders, steadying him as he kissed him.

"Goodnight," Reiner whispered into his ear before lifting himself off Bertholdt and laying on his side next to him.

Bertholdt gently touched his cheek, stroking it as gingerly as he could, afraid that he might wipe away that lingering kiss. Reiner caught the motion and felt relief. It was selfish and stupid but he could at least be sure that Bertholdt still treasured his affection.

That affection did not carry through their days in the settlement. More and more, Bertholdt was becoming distant and cold. At one point, Reiner almost likened him to Annie without the underlying softness she always denied having. It was only their third dinner with Sasha did he begin to notice barbs lying in Bertholdt's words.

"I guess we can have a deer farm," Sasha said with the utmost seriousness, "And maybe rabbits. Because those are going to be common, right?"

Reiner and her companion laughed ridiculously hard leaving Sasha confused at her dead-serious suggestion. Reiner had completely missed it but Sasha's sharp hearing caught just the slightest comment from Bertholdt, "Idiot,"

"Sorry you feel that way about my plan Bertl," Sasha said, clearly upset despite her jovial tone.

"What did he say?" Reiner asked, turning to Bertholdt, "Bertl?"

"My name is Bertholdt," Bertholdt said to Sasha, "Don't call me by my nickname,"

Sasha lifted her hands in apology, "Sorry, Reiner just calls you that so much. It kind of stuck,"

Reiner reached out to Bertholdt, clutching his shoulder gently, "She didn't mean anything by it. It's just Sasha being Sasha," Reiner bit his lip when Bertholdt's expression became even more agitated, "Bertl..."

"Don't call me that!" Bertholdt shouted, tearing out of Reiner's grasp as he stood and left the canteen.

Reiner stood almost immediately, "Wait!" Reiner shouted to Bertholdt who nearly ran out. He looked briefly to Sasha and her companion, "Um, I'll see you tomorrow. I guess. You can have my food," Sasha already had her hands all over his pork chop, stuffing it into her face as she waved Reiner goodbye.

Reiner half-expected to see Bertholdt back at the hotel. Instead, he found the man wandering around just outside right at the edge of the guarded border. Given his proximity and the empty look in his eyes, Reiner could only assume that Bertholdt planned on jumping over into the unprotected land.

"Bertholdt!" He cried out, running over to him frantically and grabbing his arm, pulling him away from the sand bag fence, "What's going on? I don't understand. This isn't like you,"

After being tortured relentlessly, brutally raped by god knows how many men, overcome by near-fatal sickness, treated like a war prize, and watching one of his closest friends be shredded to ground meat right in front of him, Bertholdt should have been the one who didn't _understand_ how Reiner could still act so carefree.

"How could you act like this!" Bertholdt shouted, finally voicing his feelings after all these days of forced silence, "After everything that has happened, how could you treat Sasha like we're still soldiers back in our training days?"

"Is this about her? Are you afraid that I'll go back to my soldier ways?" Reiner asked cautiously, trying to coax out Bertholdt's true feelings.

Bertholdt shook his head firmly. Even though this was certainly a part of his dilemma, he had far more pressing issues gnawing away at him, "I don't understand how you can still trust them," Bertholdt choked out. A part of him was jealous that Reiner could still believe in others while Reiner was the only one who reflected in his eyes, "They're humans. They're all monsters. Annie wouldn't have done this!"

Reiner watched Bertholdt clutch at his shoulder, spying the pistol hidden under the folds. Bertholdt couldn't let go of the past. He still clung to Annie, still clung to him. He didn't understand that this was a different world and sacrifices had to be made in order to survive.

"Sasha isn't one of the humans that hurt you. She's a good person. If we're going to survive, we need to let go of the past and understand that not every human is out to get us," Reiner replied firmly, stepping forward. Despite being shorter, he felt as though he was looming over the trembling Bertholdt.

"Maybe I don't want to survive,"

Those words, icy cold and filled with venomous barbs, pierced Reiner and left a chill in his veins, "What..." Reiner gasped out breathlessly, "No, no, you don't mean that,"

"There's nothing worth living for anymore," Bertholdt shouted back, "The humans won! We're all alone. Annie is dead..." Sobs eventually dominated his tirade as he covered his face and cried.

Reiner was shaking his head, whole body shaking. He couldn't lose Bertholdt, not like this, "No, don't say that!" He grabbed Bertholdt shoulders, shaking him fervently, "I'm still here. I'll always be at your side. Isn't that worth living for?"

"It's always about you, isn't it?" Bertholdt hissed with utter malice, looking up from his hands and through his tears, "What about how I feel? Seeing you with Sasha and her friend, acting like nothing has happened, like our world hasn't collapsed. How do you think I feel when I see that?" The humiliation of submitting to humans, losing his closest companions to the luxuries of humanity, it was a far too familiar agony, "If this is how it'll turn out, what's the point of going on?"

And Reiner punched him hard in the jaw, moving too suddenly for Bertholdt to react. He sent his friend flying into the sandbags, the air knocked right out of him. The pistol bounced out of his sweater, landing in the dirt at Reiner's feet.

"Do you really believe that I don't care about you at all?" Reiner murmured, fist unclenching at his side, "There isn't a single moment in any day where I'm _not_ thinking of you. How I can make you happy again. How I can get you out of Wall Maria. How I can protect you. How I can _save you_ ," He shook his head, clutching onto the side of his head fighting against tears that threatened to poor out, "I know what you've been through but if you don't move on..."

Bertholdt cut him off by tackling him down at the waist, pinning him down by sitting on his stomach and grabbing onto his shoulders, "You don't know anything! You don't know how much I despise the humans. Annie understood, she'd never side with them if she had a choice!"

With his greater strength, Reiner bucked his hips, throwing Bertholdt off his balance before rolling on top of him, sitting on his stomach and pinning his wrists to the dirt, "Annie would have done the same thing as me," His words were quiet, powerful without volume, "She would have done anything to protect you."

The two stayed silent for a brief moment. Bertholdt was still pinned to the ground and Reiner's grip on his wrists was starting to hurt. He struggled on a bit before giving in and relaxing. Reiner had more to say but he needed this brief moment to put everything together. Bertholdt gasped as Reiner leaned in, eyes half-lidded as he aligned their lips and moved closer. Too caught up in his cyclone of emotions, Bertholdt turned away and shut his eyes unable to return Reiner's kiss. He could feel the larger man breathing over his neck making him tremble.

"Is it really so bad being with me that you'd prefer to die?" Reiner whispered. Bertholdt opened a single eye, seeing Reiner's rage leaking through his carefully constructed tranquillity, "Everything that I do is for you. Do you know how hard it is to keep a smiling face for you? How hard it is to stay optimistic despite everything we've gone through?" He released one wrist and placed it right by Bertholdt's head, "I love you, Bertholdt," His words startled Bertholdt into a jolt. He let out a sad little chuckle, "When we got away with or without Sasha, I wanted to spend the rest of my life making you happy. But, if my feelings really mean so little to you that you'd rather throw away your own life,"

Bertholdt turned back to Reiner, trying to sit up only to be restrained, "I didn't mean it like that." He had done something horribly wrong. He never meant to hurt Reiner like this.

"Then fine," Reiner released him, standing up and stepping away from Bertholdt. From his expression and stature, Bertholdt couldn't tell if Reiner was more upset or more angry. He watched as Reiner picked up the pistol from the ground by its barrel.

Bertholdt sprung off the ground when Reiner lifted it over his head, "What are you doing? Stop!" It was his only keepsake from Annie, the final piece of proof that she ever existed in this world, "No!" Bertholdt cried out, trying to tackle Reiner down only for the larger man to grab the scruff of his shirt and toss him to the dirt in front of him.

Reiner reeled back and threw the pistol over his head and onto the roof of a clock tower. They could see it from where they were, sitting on the intricate stone craving of a gargoyle. Bertholdt stared incredulously at the clock tower, heaving before looking back to Reiner with the same expression,

Reiner said nothing, filled with nothing but contempt and bitterness induced by Bertholdt's words. He turned, walking away from the hotel, away from anywhere Bertholdt might rest for the night. Bertholdt remained in the dirt, hanging his head in defeat and occasionally peering up to look at the clock tower. He bit his lip and crouched on the ground, covering his head with his hands. In his despair, he cheapened Reiner's feelings for him. He groaned loudly; he was so desperate to empty out his scorn towards the humans that he disregarded how Reiner might feel. Now, his only ally in the world, his most cherished friend and first love, was gone. Only in hindsight, seeing Reiner's smiling face and constant attempts to coax Bertholdt into talking, did Bertholdt notice the sorrow behind each failed attempt and forced smile.

Bertholdt returned to the hotel that night, surprised to see that Reiner had not come in. Both blankets were left behind along with the 3DM gear bundle. Bertholdt wasn't sure if that was a good sign or a bad sign. Did it mean Reiner was going to come back? He disregarded it and lay down on the blanket, trying to sleep and unable to get Reiner out of his head.

He hoped to awaken with Reiner at his side, facing him as he always did while he slept. Instead, a cloth pouch took his place. Bertholdt reached forward and dumped the pouch into his hands, watching as a slew of coins dropped onto his palm. It was his share of the money they were making. All this time, Reiner kept hold of it since they'd both be purchasing their horse at the same time anyway. Now, Reiner had split his share.

There was a voice inside Bertholdt that told him Reiner would never leave him, that he could do whatever he wants and Reiner would still be there for him. Bertholdt silenced that fiend and dressed himself quickly. He shouldn't have taken advantage of Reiner's kindness. This realization immediately snapped him out of his catatonic depression.

The first time he tried to reconcile with Reiner, he came into the canteen and sat himself in front of him. Reiner ignored him completely, taking small bites out of the egg and toast he had ordered, "Last night, I didn't mean it," Bertholdt started, "I'm sorry I hurt you Reiner," He reached out to take Reiner's hand, hesitating when Reiner refused to release the toast and continued to eat as if Bertholdt wasn't there, "I do care about you. And I do understand how hard you work to make me happy."

Reiner stuffed his egg and toast into his mouth, rushing to finish as fast as he could. He stood up, just barely swallowing before leaving the canteen. He had enough of Bertholdt's pleading.

The second time he tried, Reiner attacked first, punching him hard in the jaw again but only after Bertholdt tried to kiss him, "Don't touch me," Reiner hissed before picking up his bundle of metal rods and leaving the salvage area.

Bertholdt lay on the ground, looking over to him. The sight of Reiner absolutely disgusted by him was forever burned in his eyes.

For breakfast the next day, Bertholdt came into the canteen and scanned the room. Reiner was nowhere in sight. At his seat was someone else, someone equally as familiar as Sasha. The peppy girl lifted herself off the seat as Bertholdt entered, waving to him eagerly, "Bertholdt! Look! Connie's here!"

Connie whipped around, eyes frantic, "Bertholdt!?" He shouted.

Bertholdt approached, swallowing a bit before he took his seat. Sasha was as obliviously happy as ever. Her companion on the other hand looked quite pissed at Bertholdt for his cold treatment of his friend.

"Connie deserted too!" Sasha announced, patting at Connie's shoulders.

"Hey man, that's not exactly something I'm proud of," Connie replied, a forced smile on his face. Unlike Sasha, he clearly had reservations about his actions. His eyes fell back onto Bertholdt shortly after, "So, you really got away. I can't believe it"

Bertholdt nodded shyly, biting his lip and looking away.

"How'd you do it?"

"We used our 3DM gear," Bertholdt replied, seeing no harm in revealing how they escaped, "We cut through the forest and went over the wall."

Connie snickered but there was no humour in his voice, "Heard you blasted Eren in the face with the anti-titan poison,"

"No...that was Annie," Bertholdt corrected.

If he knew about Eren then he must've known of Annie's fate. Connie nodded solemnly before turning back to the porridge he had ordered. Sasha, chomping away on her bread, stopped suddenly when a thought came to her, "Hey Connie! Did anyone else we know desert?"

"A few of us, yeah," Connie replied, "You don't know, Sasha. You left on day one. It was awful in there," Bertholdt could notice a sheen of cold sweat on Connie shaven head, "We all thought we could handle it. The Military Police and Garrison had firepower but the Survey Corps had resilience. If we wore them down enough, they'd give in. Then the Sickbay researchers..." He stopped, choking over his words.

Immediately, the soldiers stilled at his grueling explanation, "What did they do?" Bertholdt asked.

"Chemical warfare."

"Against humans?" Sasha shouted, "But it's all anti-titan stuff! And we tried it out, it doesn't have any effect on us."

The realization of Connie's words hadn't struck Sasha yet but Bertholdt understood right away. The sickbay, led by the seemingly innocent and noble Hanji, had been developing weapons to use against humans. It was logical. With the titan threat no more, humans would begin to wage war against each other again. With their skills suited for slaying titans, there wouldn't have been a clear cut victory if they went to war.

"I didn't sign up for this shit. None of us did," Connie covered his mouth as he spoke, "Krista and Ymir went north. I heard Mikasa and Eren planned on heading towards the north as well after Mikasa healed up," Even Eren, bloodthirsty and wild, could not stand the horrors of human wars, "Armin stayed behind. I tried to convince him to go with me but he said he needed to keep an eye on the Survey Corps."

"Have you heard from Jean?" Sasha asked.

"Haven't heard from him. I'm hoping he stayed holed up in Utopia and out of this war," Connie replied.

It had slipped Bertholdt's mind that Jean joined the Military Police. He was the single merciful being that looked after him during his sentence. He swallowed hard, remembering what Armin had said to him. He knew Jean was kind to him but he wasn't aware that Jean was working with Reiner to save him.

"So, the Survey Corps won?" Bertholdt asked hesitantly.

Connie shrugged again, eyes reflecting his dead soul, "I guess. I didn't stay behind to find out,"

Burdened by this harsh news, Sasha left with her silent companion shortly after their meal. Although she didn't say it, she obviously was going to relay this over to Reiner. This left Bertholdt and Connie alone at the table. Almost immediately, Bertholdt noticed a shift in Connie's tone.

"Is Reiner here with you too?" Connie asked. There was bitterness in his words that Bertholdt had once felt from Eren.

Bertholdt nodded back, "We got into a fight so he probably won't be around when I'm around,"

"Right," Connie replied, nodding to himself, "You know, this wouldn't have happened if you had just turned yourself in,"

Bertholdt stiffened at his remark. Was Connie aware of his suffering at the hands of the state?

"I know what you went through," Connie answered his question, "I was at the capital when the Survey Corps had custody over you."

"And you'd let Reiner, Annie, and me suffer through that?" Bertholdt asked frantically. His voice was already trembling.

"Yes," Connie muttered, quiet, ashamed of himself, "You don't know what you've caused. Did you know that the land they waged war in covered my hometown as well? I already lost my whole family and now, I don't even have a home to return to."

Bertholdt didn't know what to say so he did they only thing he could think of, "I'm sorry," Even though he couldn't be.

"Whatever," Connie replied, standing up, "I didn't sign up for this," He repeated to himself as he left the canteen.

Whatever Bertholdt felt for Connie, _it wasn't pity_. This was war and in the end, he was a soldier whether it was against titans or humans. He had no right to say that he hadn't signed up for this. He took on the duties of a soldier when he donned that jacket even if it meant becoming a dog to the state.

There was a sickening happiness sitting in Bertholdt's stomach, happy that the humans were killing each other off, happy that their true ugliness had been revealed. Bertholdt covered his mouth, fighting against the urge to heave at the ugliness he had revealed in _himself_. Connie was his friend; back in his training days, he promised that they'd grow old together and now, Bertholdt was pleased by his confusion and ordeal.

With his suffering and depression pushed aside, Bertholdt began to realize what he had become. He was acting just like what he thought the humans were, sadists hungrily lapping away at his agony for their own pleasure. Reiner wasn't just spurned. He was _disgusted_ by what Bertholdt was becoming.

Bertholdt ran out of the canteen without a single bite of food. He ran to the salvaging site, not even bothering to sign in for his paycheck, as he searched the buildings for Reiner. He didn't dare call out, afraid that Reiner might hear him and hide away. He finally found him at the center of a cathedral, gathering the wooden remnants of benches into a small pile.

"Reiner...!" Bertholdt called out, cutting short when he saw Sasha and Connie come to his side. He watched them, smiling, chatting away, _happy_ without him. Bertholdt swallowed his voice and backed off. Even when they were soldiers, Bertholdt felt apprehension when he tried to communicate with his companions around Reiner.

He stepped towards them cautiously, waving shyly to Sasha when she noticed his proximity. He reached out a hand and touched Reiner's shoulder softly, "Reiner?" He was startled into jumping when Reiner shook his hand off abruptly and continued talking to Connie like nothing had happened, explaining how to properly wrap the wood to salvage it for later use.

Perhaps running out without a single word wasn't the best reaction Bertholdt could have had to Reiner's rejection. He couldn't help it though. He finally understood and now Reiner wasn't even giving him the time of day to let him speak. It left Sasha and Connie both worried and while the latter left him alone, Sasha began to keep an eye on him giving him further anxiety from being constantly watched.

To avoid Bertholdt, Reiner had completely shifted his schedule. He'd eat meals earlier which meant Sasha, her companion, and Connie also ate earlier but hung around later to eat with Bertholdt. As the days went on, Connie eventually stopped eating with Bertholdt, finding more to talk about with Reiner. Sasha still hung around, happily eating up her second helping usually courtesy of Bertholdt.

It was late at night when they had dinner: A simple mashed potatoes with gravy and meatloaf. Reiner had already eaten with the three before. By now, only Sasha remained for her second portion with Bertholdt's company. Bertholdt assumed she was just a big eater and didn't mind splurging for another meal. He poked at his potatoes, shaping them aimlessly around the half-eaten meatloaf.

"Hey, are you going to eat that?" Sasha asked from across the table, already poking her fork into his potatoes.

Bertholdt smiled a bit and shoved it over, allowing her to devour her third dinner of the day.

"Oh, that's right, Reiner said you still have your 3DM gear on you. I thought you might've pawned it away," Sasha remarked with her mouth half full with potatoes, "I've got some gas left behind. You'll probably want some after you get your horse,"

"My horse?" Bertholdt said, puzzled, "You still want me to go with you?"

"Well, yeah, that was our plan. Right?" Sasha said cheerfully as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

Bertholdt could remember Connie's words. He remembered how he blamed him, "Sasha, after everything that has happened, don't you blame us?"

Sasha cocked her head in confusion. Her eyes drifted up for a bit, lost in thought for just a brief moment before she shrugged to him.

"But, we're the ones who caused all this," Bertholdt replied, "We betrayed humanity. Our escape sparked the civil war. It's thanks to us that chemical weapons were allowed to be produced. The only reason you deserted the military is because of us!"

Sasha merely shrugged again, "Who knows. It's too big," Too big, too big for Sasha and Bertholdt to comprehend. Too big for them to shove the blame onto a single man.

"You don't hate me?" Bertholdt asked. After everything that happened in the grand scale and how he treated her in the smaller scale, he wanted to know what Sasha thought of him.

She smiled back, pushing aside the cleaned plate, "Well, I guess I kind of hate you for driving up all those people into my clan's land back then. But you know, I don't think I hate you. You're a good person."

He felt foolish now, looking upon her with derision back when he still took advantage of Reiner's kindness. He swallowed, bowing his head to her, "Thank you," His whole body was trembling as he let out a soft sob into his hands.

"No need to cry, you know," Sasha said, reaching out to pat his back. Long ago, Bertholdt thought her gesture was irritating. Now, he was glad that she still cared enough to treat him like a friend.

Now more than ever, he needed to speak to Reiner. He needed to tell him everything he had realized even if it was too late to reconcile their friendship.

Bertholdt found Reiner when he was alone in the dark of night finishing up the labels on his salvaged materials. He reached out to him from the front, making sure that they made eye contact before calling out, "Hey," Reiner grunted in reply, picking up the bundle and walking off. Bertholdt followed closely after, "I have enough money for a horse now," Bertholdt said, trying to avoid the barbed topic which he knew would drive Reiner out of the room, "I guess I'm ready to leave when everyone is ready,"

Reiner raised a brow as he turned to him, features sharp and imposing, "Everyone? I thought you didn't want to ally with the humans,"

"I was wrong..." Bertholdt whispered, looking to the ground, "Deep down, I still hate them, just a bit. I can't get rid of that. But, I can't just hate them indiscriminately. Like Connie and Sasha, even though they were my enemies, they're still my friends,"

His heart sunk when Reiner walked past him, not even willing to hang back to listen. Bertholdt leapt forward, gripping onto him from behind tightly, "Listen to me!" He cried out, hanging his head over Reiner's shoulder, " _Please_ ," When Reiner finally relaxed in his grip, Bertholdt released him and spoke, "I'm sorry for taking advantage of you. That night, I was being selfish. And, I'm sorry for taking advantage of everyone else's kindness. I didn't have any right to judge them just because they were human," He stumbled over his words, trying to fit an apology together from his fragmented thoughts, "Sasha's a good person. And Annie would have done the same as you. And about that night, I didn't mean to hurt you, really," His apologies began to mix together into an incoherent lump.

Reiner sighed heavily, breaking Bertholdt out of his rambling. He turned, staring up at Bertholdt's sad but lovely eyes. He smiled sadly, reaching up a hand to touch Bertholdt's cheek, "You're not so great with apologies, you know,"

Bertholdt blushed at the touch and cast his eyes downward, "I guess. Most importantly," He breathed in deeply, blushing harder even before he could speak, "I love you Reiner," He finally repeated, "No matter what I may say or do when I'm upset or angry, I'll always love you," He gasped when Reiner pulled him into a crushing hug.

"I missed you," Reiner whispered, hugging him tighter as he buried his face into his shoulder.

Bertholdt could only grip onto him tighter. It had been so long since he'd felt Reiner all over him. He was starved for Reiner and only now could he finally have his fill. He grunted gently when he felt something from Reiner's leather jacket prodding at him. He released him a bit, feeling up Reiner's chest before reaching into the jacket and pulling out Annie's elusive pistol.

"What?" Bertholdt examined the pistol, checking to make sure if it was the right one. He looked to Reiner, surprised to see just a bit of blush on his face.

"I asked Sasha to get it for me," He replied, chuckling a bit, "You know how she's good at 3DM and all," He took it into his hand, sweeping his fingers over the barrel, "I was being stupid when I threw it away. It's our last piece of Annie," He held it over Bertholdt's chest, "Here, you take it,"

Bertholdt shook his head, pressing it back against Reiner, "No. You should have it. You're right, I can't just cling to the past if we're going to survive. And besides, you're a better shot,"

Reiner smiled to him. It felt like a long time since he had genuinely smiled. He stretched upward, gently pulling Bertholdt's head down to seal their lips in a kiss. A quiet moan came from Bertholdt who clearly missed this just as he did.

The two parted ways after that. Reiner still had to bundle up his wood and checkout his cash and Bertholdt hoped to regroup with Sasha to expand on their plan. He had enough money to buy his horse now as did Reiner when he cashed in the final bundle. However, on his way there, he heard the sound of a horse galloping behind the buildings. He followed the steps, surprised when he saw Connie riding on the horse.

"Connie?" Bertholdt called out, "What are you doing?"

Connie looked to him too startled to be anything less than suspicious, "Oh, hey. I thought you would be sleeping," He circled his horse around, stopping to look at him, "I was checking up on my riding skills. Haven't rode on a horse since I got here,"

Bertholdt nodded, biting on his bottom lip nervously. Connie had supplies strapped to his horse, several canisters of gasoline and a pouch of water. Bertholdt smiled to him innocently, "Alright. Don't forget that we're going to discuss our plans with Sasha and her friend tomorrow,"

Connie nodded, "Yep, got it,"

Their conversation was choppy, awkward, and without a single spot of trust between either of them. Connie galloped on ahead, not even hiding the fact that he was moving towards the wall. Bertholdt swallowed hard, trying to figure out his options. He couldn't be sure if Connie really was going to sell them out. He could have been carrying supplies in case he ran into a titan. He could have been moving towards the wall because there was more open ground. Bertholdt couldn't be sure but he had to do something.

They had to buy their horses and escape _now_. First thing in the morning, Bertholdt would wake Reiner, the two would buy their horses and get out of there. It was only when Bertholdt lay down beside Reiner and curled up in his blanket did he remember, _Sasha and her companion were deserters_. His eyes snapped open, realizing that the fate of deserters especially in such a dire time was most certainly death if not torture. Bertholdt swallowed hard and sat up, peering out the window and over the horizon that he hoped would illuminate with sunlight sooner. If he ran off with Reiner, he'd be leaving Sasha to death.

_Wake up Reiner, buy the horses, find Sasha and her friend, get out._

It was a lot to do in a slot of time with an unknown length. He had no choice though. The stable owner wouldn't be awake at this time and even if he was, being exhausted as they rode into titan territory only spelled out doom.

Through his anxiety, Bertholdt forced himself to sleep and forced himself awake right when the sun came up. He strapped on his 3DM gear the moment he woke up. In the worst case, there wouldn't be any time to put it on.

"Reiner," Bertholdt whispered as he gripped his shirt gently and shook him, "Wake up. Reiner!"

Reiner stirred, mumbling a bit as he rolled onto his back and rubbed his eyes, "What is it?" He groaned, punctuating his question with a yawn, "Geez Bertl, the sun's barely up. Sasha and Connie are probably dead asleep,"

"This is important," Bertholdt said frantically, "I think Connie sold us out,"

Reiner's eyes snapped open, just a bit irritated, "Seriously Bertl?" He rolled onto his side away from him.

"I'm serious!" Bertholdt shouted, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him onto his back, "I saw him leave the village last night. He was going towards the wall,"

"It's Connie, he'd never do that," Reiner replied.

Had it been back in their soldier days, Bertholdt may have agreed with Reiner and dropped the issue. However, the malice reflected in his eyes when he claimed that he'd condemn him, Reiner, and Annie said otherwise. It reminded him so much of Eren, a man with a good heart but wicked grudge.

"Trust me," Bertholdt whispered, bowing down to rest his head on Reiner's shoulder, " _Please_ ,"

A hand came forward, gripping onto Bertholdt shoulder and pulling down, using him as support to sit himself up. Reiner rubbed at his eyes, yawning loudly again before collapsing onto Bertholdt's shoulder, "Stop looking at me with those puppy eyes. I'm up," He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath against Bertholdt's neck, "Are you entirely sure?"

Bertholdt nodded quickly, "Yes. He was definitely going towards the wall,"

"He's aware that if he does this, Sasha will also get pulled in, right?" Reiner replied, "She's a deserter and on top of that, an accomplice since she's associated with us."

"I guess. Maybe that's why he waited till the last minute. He was still hesitating," Bertholdt pondered, patting the top of Reiner's head while the larger man remained half laying on his shoulder, "We have to get out of here, get our horses, find Sasha, and leave,"

Reiner smiled just a bit as he nuzzled into Bertholdt's neck, "Welcome back, Bertl,"

They did as he said. Reiner got dressed immediately and the two made their way to the stable owner. Luckily, the stable owner was a mere peasant and didn't pay much care to the 3DM gear Bertholdt had on. He handed over the horses without hassle and the two made their way back to the middle of the settlement.

"Do you know where Sasha and her friend were staying?" Bertholdt asked as he walked his horse past a sand bag fence marking the entrance to the residential section of the settlement.

Reiner shook his head, "I've only met them during breakfast. They're probably at the camping site though,"

The two stopped cold when they heard a riot-like clamor at the center of the residential distrct. There were only two situations which would cause this: A titan entering the village or the soldiers invading from the capital. Without the sound of slaughter and terror, this left only one option.

"The-They're here!" Bertholdt cried out, nearly letting go of the reins on his horse as he backed away.

Reiner grabbed his arm, holding him firm, "We can cut through the alleys to the camping site," He pulled Bertholdt along as they quickly made their way behind the buildings. They tied their horses to the gutters of a house before sneaking through. They'd be too easily spotted if they brought them along. Bertholdt sneaked a peek at them through an open window, watching them thoroughly searching the hotel they were just in. From afar, he could see the slight blue and white of their emblem, _Survey Corps_. He swallowed deeply and moved faster. If they knew to search the hotel then for sure, Connie had sold them out.

"Hurry," Reiner whispered, grabbing Bertholdt's arm before climbing down a slope into the camping grounds.

"Stop!" Bertholdt cried out, digging his heels into the slope and pulling Reiner up frantically as he spied the soldiers patrolling the camping grounds. They were searching the tents, nearly tearing them off the ground to check those who lay inside, "It's too late,"

Reiner shut his eyes and swallowed. The bitter taste of failure was not unfamiliar to him but still unpleasant, "You're right," He slowly climbed back up, looking back one last time before shuffling back into the shadows...

... And right into Sasha.

"Sasha!" Reiner called out, completely surprised at the sight of Sasha and her companion squeezed into a tiny niche in the building.

"We were just about to go to the hotel to look for you," Her companion said. Reiner looked stunned for a moment, completely unaware that her nameless friend could even talk.

Reiner shook off the wonder, pulling Bertholdt in close to tuck him into the side of the building, "Where are your horses? We need to get out of here,"

Sasha nodded towards the campsite, gulping loudly, "We tethered them over there. There's no way we can get over there now!" She was panicking, eyes wide and frantic.

"Um," Bertholdt mumbled, gently shaking Reiner's shoulder when he hadn't caught their attention, "I can distract them."

"What?" Reiner muttered as they all turned their eyes on him.

"I have my 3DM gear," He gestured to his harness, "I can make a bit of noise, zip around, and then they'll go investigate," Bertholdt couldn't deny that his suggestion terrified him. One slip up and he'd be back in their hands, back for death or torture. He told himself that he was used to it, that it'd be best if he was the only one caught since there was nothing worse they could do for him, "I'll get some gasoline...and..it..."

"You're shaking," Reiner whispered, placing a hand on Bertholdt's head, steadying the tremors going through his body.

"You don't have to do it," Sasha replied. She lifted her cloak, revealing her own 3DM gear, "I can try to get around them while Kristoph grabs the horses. Then we can meet up at the edge of the settlement,"

Reiner cocked a brow, "Who's Kristoph?" He shook his head shortly after, "Anyway, that's still too risky. These look like Survey Corps soldiers. They're probably skilled with 3DM especially if they're here to capture Bertholdt and I."

"Let me do this," Bertholdt shouted firmly, grabbing Reiner's arm, "We need a distraction. It's the only way you'll all get out of here," He was cut off as Reiner grabbed his collar and pulled him into a deep kiss. He held nothing back, nearly devouring Bertholdt's lips with his own, searching his mouth voraciously with his tongue. Sasha and her companion stared on with a dumbfounded look, unsure how to react.

"If you're trying to win our trust back, don't worry about it," Reiner whispered to Bertholdt as he pulled away. He released him slowly, watching as Bertholdt's beet-red face still attempted to look serious, "But, your distraction idea sounds right," He looked to Sasha, "Bertholdt and I will get on our horses and lure them away. They'll probably send every soldier after us which gives you two time to get to your horses," Sasha was shaking her head but Reiner ignored it and pulled Bertholdt close, "Let's go, Bertl,"

Sasha grabbed their soldiers, stopping them, "Wait," She took off her cloak and unstrapped her 3DM gear, passing the bundle onto Reiner, "You'll need it more than me," Sasha looked over to her companion, taking a couple extra canisters of gas off him, "And here,"

Bertholdt took the containers, smiling weakly at Sasha, "Thank you," He tucked them away and took Reiner's hand, nodding to him quickly before the two ran ahead. Reiner looked back for just a moment, looking to Sasha one last time before disappearing into the alley.

On their way to the horses, Reiner suited himself up with his 3DM gear in a covered corner of the alley. Bertholdt kept watching, peering out between the windows to check for incoming soldiers. While Reiner continued to adjust the buckles to his side, Bertholdt looked over their supplies. His detachable blade supply was still quite large. Reiner's, or specifically Sasha's, blade supply was ridiculously low. Only two blade remain on either sheath and one of them appeared dull from use. Bertholdt swallowed at the implications.

Before turning the final corner to their horses, Bertholdt grabbed Reiner's arm and pushed him into a thin alleyway hidden from sight. The narrowness of the alley forced Bertholdt to be pressed right up against Reiner in order to fit. He didn't mind, however, since this was how close Bertholdt had wanted them to be when he spoke, "I'm sorry Reiner," He whispered, "Sorry I made this so difficult for you these past few days,"

Reiner sighed, barely able to pull in a full breath from the tightness of the alley. He reached out a hand and stroked the side of Bertholdt's face, "It's alright. You've been through a lot," He leaned forward, nearly touching his lips against his own, "I'm sorry for blowing up at you,"

They kissed again, just gingerly pressing their lips together before Bertholdt pulled away, "If we get out of this, I want you to marry me,"

Reiner smiled, shimmying out from the alley and pulled Bertholdt along, "Been dying to hear that from you,"

Reiner fully expected soldiers to have discovered their horses by now. With his swords at the ready, he crept into the alley and was pleasantly surprised by their horses completely alone and intact. The two climbed onto their horses, slowly stepping out from the crowded buildings and towards the open space.

"We need to get their attention," Bertholdt whispered, ducking his head as they moved out of the densely packed buildings. Bertholdt watched as Reiner withdrew Annie's pistol from his jacket, checking if there was ammo inside. Luckily, a single bullet was chambered inside. Reiner locked eyes with Bertholdt and pointed the pistol up the moment they stepped into the clearing.

A whirl of blades nearly slashed off Reiner's arm before he could even lower the safety. He retracted immediately, tucking the pistol away as the horses bucked wildly at the sudden movement, "What the hell?" Reiner hissed out.

"There they are!" They heard voices shout from all around them.

Hundreds of footsteps were closing in with the sound of horses mixed in between. As soon as their horses recovered from the shock, Bertholdt and Reiner took off at full speed, using the familiarity of the terrain to cut through the maze-like salvage areas and throw off pursuers. The sound of gunshots and other horses closing in made Bertholdt's heart flutter with intense panic.

"Bertholdt!" Reiner shouted, looking over to his friend who looked like he was about to have a heart attack, "We'll get out of here together!"

Bertholdt nodded back, already feeling tears flying off his face from the speed they were moving, "Right!"

The area they were cutting through used to be the marketplace. The terrain was jagged and broken most likely caused by the high population that lived here which attracted the brunt of titans. Remains of wooden stalls and old stone buildings slightly impeded their progress. It was clear that the horses were not trained to handle harsh terrain unlike the ones trained by the Military.

For a moment, both of them thought they had gotten away. The sounds of gunshots had stopped and the clapping sounds of horse hooves against the ground had diminished. Bertholdt whipped his head around to check, horrified when he realized that the diminished sound was not because of their distance but because the soldiers reduced their speed so they could line up and fire a barrage of shots at them.

"Switch to 3DM!" Bertholdt cried out as he fired his hooks into a tall building. Reiner followed suit and both of them reeled themselves into the air just as the soldiers fired, skimming the horses with their shots. Bertholdt flung himself over to Reiner's side, choosing to navigate their way through the ruins of the slums over the far more open philosopher's district.

Halfway through when they began to hear the sounds of 3DM gear all around them, the two drew their swords and advanced. Without words, just a mere glance to one other and a quick nod, the two charged forward and slew the brigade of three soldiers who came hunting after them. Reiner aimed for the head, Bertholdt aimed for the legs, Reiner went for the left, Bertholdt went for the right, up, down, cross-slash, single-slash, the two mirrored one another and prevented anyone in their sights from escaping, let alone attacking. One by one, using their familiarity with the slums and advanced 3DM proficiency to their advantage, Reiner and Bertholdt slew the pursuing soldiers.

They took a break near the well, dropping off their dulled blades and popping on new ones, "Shit, they just keep coming," Reiner muttered, huffing hard at the exertion of endless combat.

Bertholdt leaned over the well, dry heaving from over-exertion, "If we could get their horses," He fell to his knees, watching Reiner who eventually fell down against the well, "There's a chance we can escape," He forced himself back up after a short break, handing a fresh pair of blades to Reiner, "There'll probably be guards though,"

Reiner smiled just a bit before he stood, attaching the fresh blades, "That's nothing we can't handle. With just the two of us, we took down an entire brigade!" He reached up a hand and swept it through Bertholdt's sweaty hair, "Ready?" Bertholdt nodded back quickly, wiping his forehead one more time before firing up his 3DM gear and soaring between the buildings, "We even took on Mikasa together, didn't we? Who else could they send that could possibly be worse than her?"

The answer to their question struck them like whirl of blades the moment they moved into an wider street. Reiner couldn't even dodge the attack, lifting up his arm in a futile attempt to block only to have that limb completely amputated. He screamed out in pain, losing control of his 3DM and crashing right into a pile of sharp rubble legs first.

Bertholdt screamed in fear, aiming his hooks for the ground and reeling himself away mere moments before the whirl of blades turned and came at him with sonic speed. He propelled himself towards the ground, tucking his head into his arms to lessen the impact as he rolled in Reiner's direction. He couldn't even watch his assailant. If he caught sight of those dazzlingly terrifying blades, it'd already be too late.

He dove to Reiner's side, shaking him, "Reiner!" He cried out.

With his arm missing and both legs destroyed, Reiner had no hope of getting away. He shoved at Bertholdt desperately with his still good arm, "Go!" He cried. Reluctantly, Bertholdt let himself be torn away by Reiner's arm. He backed away, shaking his head and crying before fleeing into a narrow alleyway on his 3DM gear.

"Do you know how much shit you caused at capital?" The cold, smooth voice of the Lance Corporal cut through the air. Levi watched Reiner with cool dismissal, "Stay here, will you? I don't have the time to watch you," In a desperate attempt, Reiner grabbed Levi's leg when the man tried to walk away. Lazily, he kicked him off and resumed his chase after Bertholdt. With his speed and ferocity, Bertholdt would _never_ get away.

Reiner reached out weakly after the god-like soldier, "Don't kill him, _please_ ," It wouldn't be long before soldiers came to collect him but he couldn't will himself to move even if he wanted to.

It was like watching Annie die all over again. He was helpless to do anything, could only be a spectator. While in Annie's case, his helplessness was induced by how sudden her death came. With Bertholdt, it was because of his incompetence. He punched the ground, crying intensely before he even noticed the tears. Annie's death was replaying in his mind; it was all he could think of now that another dear friend of his was about to die.

" _Fall, Eren,"_

 _That's right_. She shot Eren. Whether it was a revelation or insanity, Reiner found himself taking out the pistol. There was a single shot in this. There shouldn't have been another. The contradiction in his hands triggered a stream of memories, all of them contradictions or irregularities that either confirmed his insanity or gave him hope.

_"I need you to take a gamble with me"_

_"As long as there's two of us, we should be able to make it through,"_

_"What is this place, some sort of chem lab?"_

_"There's a chance,"_

The moment before her death, she reloaded the pistol and shooed Bertholdt to the side. Connie said they were doing chemical experiments at the sickbay. It wouldn't be farfetched, especially with all their titan samples, that they'd accidentally make a serum to reverse the effects of the toxin. He hadn't seen anything like that but Annie, through touring with Armin or being in the heart of the High Security area, it was a possibility. _As long as there's two of us_. _Two titans._

He swallowed hard, staring at the pistol before turning it on himself. He didn't have a choice, really. This was a gamble he could not refuse, "Praying to you Annie, I'm forever grateful if this works," Shutting his eyes tightly, he pulled the trigger.

 

Bertholdt screamed in fear as Levi closed in. In a fit of panic, Bertholdt completely lost control when one of his hook unhinged itself off the cement. He didn't even have the reflex to recover, completely paralyzed in fear. He collided against a brick wall on his left side, dislocating his left arm at the shoulder before finally hitting the dirt on his back knocking the air out of him. He twisted over weakly onto his side, watching as Levi approached him slowly. Weakly, Bertholdt raised a single sword up at Levi.

It was pitiful the way Bertholdt held up the dulled stub of his blade at Levi as if that would change anything. Even if he was fully armed and healthy, any one-on-one battle against Levi would be utter suicide. Levi took his own sword and pushed Bertholdt's blade to the side. He eventually dropped the handle altogether, too weak to even nudge away Levi's own blade.

"Don't make this anymore of a hassle," Levi said, "Turn yourself in because I don't have the patience to convince you," He brandished his blades menacingly, making Bertholdt burst into tears just at the sight.

"No way..." Bertholdt whimpered. He'd rather die then return to Wall Sina, "Kill me. Do it!"

Despite his words, despite pulling his head back to reveal his throat to Levi's blade, this was not how Bertholdt wanted it to end. He did not want to die without seeing Reiner. He shut his eyes tightly but even that did not shield him from the intense, surreal flash of light. Both he and Levi cringed as a wave of intense heat crashed down on them for just a moment. Both of them could recognize this occurrence anywhere.

"Oh my god..." Bertholdt whispered.

"You've got to be shitting me!" Levi cried out as the Armored Titan burst through the buildings and charged at Levi, "Damn it!" He shouted, quickly zipping out of the way on his 3DM gear.

Bertholdt shielded his head and curled up as Reiner dashed over him, just barely missing him as he stomped by in a mad run. Reiner let out a horrifying roar as he chased Levi through the buildings, crushing everything in his way, ruining all the hard work they had done as salvagers.

Bertholdt scrambled to his feet, ignoring the throbbing pain of his arm as he stumbled towards the Armored Titan, "Reiner!" He called out, too happy to see him. His eyes scanned upwards, seeing Reiner in all his titan glory.

However, his eyes, _his eyes were wrong_. Bertholdt would always remember the sun-like colour Reiner's eyes would take when he transformed. But now, they were unfocused and wild, giving off an almost demonic glow. He let out an animalistic roar so loud that it may have wrecked his ears had Bertholdt not covered them and ducked to the ground. From his position, he could hear the spray of gasoline and the mechanical whirring of soldiers followed by horrified screams and the vile squelch of flesh and bone being crushed to the ground.

The ground shook with every step Reiner took, every soldier crushed beneath his feet. Only Levi remain, effortlessly weaving around Reiner's clunky but powerful motions but unable to deter the beast. No matter how many times he hacked away at his exposed joints, a blistering hot steam would fill the air and his flesh would repair itself near-instantaneously.

Gunshots rang through the air but everyone knew it was futile. Those bullets would not pierce the armored titan's skin. By all means, Reiner had won. Levi could do nothing to him. The soldiers could do nothing to him. _But still he remained,_ slaughtering every soldier in the vicinity.

Bertholdt had to stop him or else Reiner would lose his mind, "Reiner!" Bertholdt cried out, watching as his friend slowly approached the civilization they once helped build. With his one good arm, he unfastened all of his gear, the heavy straps and devices no longer useful given his injured state. He clambered to his feet, falling against a piece of stone wall briefly before forcing himself through the pain and towards his lover, "Reiner! Please stop!" He cried out, calling Levi's attention but no one else's.

Bertholdt cried out as he was knocked off his feet by a gust of air, coughing out dirt as it entered his lungs, " _Reiner_ …" He murmured, begging that his friend could hear him and stop this madness. His heart nearly burst from his chest as a titanic armored foot fell to the ground right before him, the shockwave sending him onto his back.

Reiner paid him no mind. Bertholdt hoped it was because deep down, he still recognized him as an ally. He chased the soldiers who fled, swatting at Levi whenever he could but even the strongest soldier in the army knew that his attack was futile. Nothing could stop this berserk beast. Bertholdt couldn't stop though; he forced himself onto his shaky legs and followed after Reiner, calling to him desperately, "Reiner!" He cried out, rushing right up beside the titan with one arm reaching to him, "Come back to me. _Please_."

Reiner's eyes fell upon him but there was no light of realization in them. His shadow loomed over Bertholdt, a foretelling of the darkness to come.

"Get out of there!" Levi shouted from where he anchored himself on the side of a tower, "He's just a titan now!"

"No he isn't!" Bertholdt shouted, clutching onto his broken arm as the Armored Titan approached him, growling softly.

Reiner heard his cries, distinguished him from all the other soldiers screaming for his death. He let out a heavy breath of hot steam, still berserk, Bertholdt could tell. The rumble of the ground like a sudden earthquake was the only warning Bertholdt got as Reiner charged him with no intent to stop. The impact of his feet against the dirt could have shattered the earth, could have rendered Bertholdt a bloody mist.

Bertholdt forced himself to stand his ground. He was never going to fear Reiner. Reiner would never hurt him, Reiner loved him. He just needed a reminder, a beacon in this wasteland to pull him back.

Bertholdt reached his arms out, smiling softly, "Come back to me," He repeated, softer, kinder.

"Look out!" Levi barked.

…

Looming in his shadow, Reiner towering over him panting out heavy breaths of steam, the ground no longer shaking, Bertholdt knew he made the right choice. A heavy hand cupped him, the heat of its alien flesh gentle against Bertholdt. The boy smiled, letting out a small chuckle as he was lifted into the air. Life returned to Reiner's eyes, understanding, _beyond humanity_.

Turning away from the walls, Reiner held Bertholdt to his chest and ran, carrying him away, _saving him_.

 

Reiner ran till the night fell. The opposite wall was visible where they were. The survey corps had done a good job with clearing out titans. In open areas like this, he had expected that they would've been swarmed by a titan army. At most, a few stragglers found them and Reiner quickly dealt with them. Reiner brought Bertholdt to a cave to rest giving him a place to hide should the titans sneak up on them.

"Aren't you going to come in?" Bertholdt asked, chuckling a bit as the giant titan scanned the night sky before shaking his head, "You can't change back, can you?" He asked innocently, immediately sensing a bit of sadness in Reiner's steely expression, "How did you turn into a titan anyway?"

Reiner opened his mouth, Bertholdt suppressed the slightest urge to laugh, the armored titan always reminded him just a bit like a turtle whenever it opened its mouth, " _Annie_."

"What?" Bertholdt pondered, unsure what Reiner meant, "W-What do you mean?"

A throaty chortle choked out from Reiner, distorted by his titan form as he gently ruffled Bertholdt's hair with the tip of his finger. His lover understood the innocent gesture, chuckling a bit at himself. Reiner was clearly in no condition to explain but Bertholdt just kept asking him questions.

"We'll figure it out," Bertholdt replied, taking Reiner's finger and kissing the tip gently.

Camping close to the fire at the mouth of the cave, Bertholdt curled up in a cloak he had taken along with him, using his arm as a pillow. Reiner sat against a cliff, watching sluggishly as Bertholdt fell asleep, turning his gaze to the sky when Bertholdt nodded off.

_Just a little bit more. Then we're free._

When morning came, Bertholdt awakened first. He half expected Reiner to up and awake and was honestly shocked when he saw the armored titan dozing off at the cliff side, hanging its head in exhaustion as an even, peaceful breath came from its mouth. Bertholdt laughed at the surreal sight, stepping out from the cave and admiring the scenery around them. Reiner had picked a good clearing with luscious trees and thriving wildlife. Bertholdt nearly forgot that such beauty still existed in the world after those horrific nights trapped within the walls.

The further he stepped out, however, the more he noticed a bitter, chemical smell in the air. Walking past the trees, his breath hitched at the sight of a giant plume of smoke coming from where Wall Rose stood. The cloud of smoke could have easily enveloped twenty colossal titans in it's height. _What the hell was going on in there?_ Bertholdt didn't know if he should laugh or weep.

He never made the decision, the sound of machinery distracting him. He whipped around in horror, seeing Levi standing at the cave with both swords drawn and an empty look on his face, "Congratulations. You've made humanity devour itself."

Bertholdt swallowed, trembling already at his coming demise. Without Reiner awake, an unarmed Bertholdt stood no chance. He almost gave in, almost collapsed to his knees as a sobbing mess till he remembered everything Reiner had told him, everything Sasha passed onto him. If this was his last breath, he wouldn't let it be wasted, "It's humanity's own fault," Bertholdt replied, quiet but stern, "They made those chemical weapons for themselves. They chose to start a war for their own sick pleasures," The endless humiliation would never be clean from his body but at least Bertholdt knew who to blame, "They have no one to blame but themselves."

Levi snorted in reply, a humourless smirk on his face. Whether it was respect or something he was going to do all along, Levi sheathed his blades, "Looks like the Armored Titan went berserk, probably took some experimental serum from the sickbay," Levi said aloud in a monotone but declarative voice, "Didn't even leave a body behind, his friend, and we've got bigger problems than a rogue titan rampaging _outside the walls_."

Bertholdt bit down on his lip, realizing what Levi was granting to him.

"Don't bother," Levi rejected his gratitude, "It's just because it'll be too much shit to deal with to bring you back," He tossed a set of 3DM gear to him, fully outfitted with blades and gasoline, "Just make sure I never see your faces ever again, got it?"

Bertholdt nodded quickly, "Thank you…" He murmured, Levi leaving before his words could even reach him.

He waited for Reiner to awaken before he strapped on his gear, taking his time to calibrate it to support his lanky build. When the massive titan awoke, his heavy presence no longer exhausted and weak, Bertholdt happily passed on the news of their freedom, granted to him by the state. Despite his immobile facial features, Bertholdt could tell Reiner was happy knowing that Bertholdt was free to let go of those miserable days as the state's slave.

A hand came down, stroking Bertholdt's head once more before lifting him to his shoulder, allowing his lover to latch onto an armored shoulder before he took off. Wall Maria was already in sight, it'd be mere moments before they tore through the gate, freeing themselves from the wretched walls forever.

Perhaps they'd find Sasha again, her escape hopefully successful given Reiner's intervention, maybe even Mikasa and Eren, eyes finally open to the corruption they had rooted themselves in. When they settled, they'd pay their respects to Annie and someday, when they were at peace, Reiner could permanently separate himself from his titan form using Hanji's serum and he could hold Bertholdt once more.

Never again would he be hunted down, tortured for the justice of the people. Those brief periods of his life, the billowing ashes of bloodshed and civil war erupting from Wall Rose a cruel reminder of what it was like to be ruled by _them_ and the humiliation of being locked in a cage.

Never again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was actually about 50% written when I stopped. My original idea had titan!Reiner and Bertholdt actually living out their lives for a bit, trying to free Reiner from his titan form, eventually meeting up with Sasha again, culminating in a few complications when Reiner would suddenly go berserk whenever anyone approached Bertholdt, his feral instincts to protect Bertholdt taking hold. From there, I had no idea how to move forward so I was thoroughly blocked. 
> 
> So, just to get this fic completed with a palatable ending, I scrapped the titan!Reiner arc and wrapped it up with Levi. I apologize for the dip in quality with the ending, solely because I wanted to wrap this up and at least give closure to anyone waiting on this fic.
> 
> (Contrary to popular belief, it was fully planned that Reiner would take on his titan form despite how Deus Ex Machina it seems)
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for reading and thank you for sticking around!
> 
>  
> 
> PS. When I first wrote this, I purposely made the Military Police cartoonishly evil and exaggerated them just so I can push in some torture exploitation. With how General Zackley has been portrayed in the newer chapters and the dickish-ness of the royals... I almost get a Hilarious in Hindsight moment


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